


At The Break Of Dawn

by cruellysweet



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Cheerleaders, F/F, idk first time posting on ao3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:27:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 30,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23485294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cruellysweet/pseuds/cruellysweet
Summary: Just another Lipves high school AU. Lippie is the new girl...
Relationships: Ha Sooyoung | Yves/Kim Jungeun | Kim Lip
Comments: 9
Kudos: 81





	1. For The Record

**Author's Note:**

> I already posted the first chapter on aff but my friend suggested that I post it here as well, so here it is.

The crisp morning breeze hit Jungeun’s face dissipating the remains of a turbulent night. It’s just first-day jitters, she thought, trying to calm herself as she jogged along the empty beach sidewalk, her usual running playlist on full blast.

She had realized long ago that running was her coping mechanism, it helped her clear her mind. There was something about physically moving from one place to another, free yet determined, that helped her ease her mind. Today was one of those days where she had barely gotten any sleep, so she had slipped on her gray sports shoes at the break of dawn and raced down her block without paying much attention to her surroundings. It was proving difficult to pretend as if nothing had changed though—gray and cold skyscrapers had been replaced by pastel-colored cape-cod and Victorian houses, a clear reminder that she wasn’t in Seoul anymore.

Her mother had passed away a few months ago and, although her grandparents had warmly expressed their desire to take her in—she had practically been living with them anyway, during her mom’s last months at the hospital—her father, her estranged father, had insisted she go live with him in the US. If you asked Jungeun it didn’t make any goddamn sense, but she was still a minor and she had no choice but to obey.

America hadn’t been so bad thus far, she had to admit. The weather was great and people were rather friendly—at least friendlier than Seoulites—but she had heard horror stories about high schools in the US, and today she would become the lead actress in her very own horror film.

Lost in her thoughts as she was, she failed to notice an approaching figure, running toward her from the opposite side of the promenade, until it shifted rapidly and shrunk to half its size only a few feet away from her. A girl about her age was bent forward, wincing in pain as she clutched her right foot.

“Are you alright?” Jungeun asked, removing one her earbuds and noticing the nearby murmur of the ocean waves for the first time that morning.

“Oh, yeah. I sprained my ankle last month but it’s pretty much healed by now. Maybe coming out for a jog wasn't such a great idea,” replied the girl as she looked up from her crouched position. She was pretty, Jungeun noticed, very pretty.

“Oh, alright. Do you need any help or anything?” Jungeun asked hesitantly.

The girl offered her a grateful smile but shook her head. “Nope. Go on, I’m fine. Thanks, though.”

— — —

An hour later, as Jungeun brushed her teeth in the comfort of her bathroom, she gasped in surprise. The girl had spoken Korean, Jungeun noticed, as she replayed in her head the encounter with her. Although Jungeun English was great—her mother had forced her to attend extracurricular English classes since primary school in case she ever wound up in the US visiting her father—her mother tongue was still Korean and it was what kicked in first during sudden situations, like last week when hit her elbow against a kitchen cabinet door, blurting out a string of profanities in Korean. So, she had unknowingly just had a casual conversation in Korean with a stranger... in California—go figure.

“So she speaks Korean,” Jungeun muttered pensively after spitting out some toothpaste and running the water.

“Who speaks Korean?” Taeyeon asked, popping her head into the bathroom and startling Jungeun. Her dad spent most of his time at the hospital where he worked, operating on patients or conducting important research with his team about god-knows-what. Ultimately, he spent more time at his one-room apartment next to the hospital than at his own house, so her aunt, Taeyeon, was the only source of adult supervision at home, if you could even call it that since she was so childish.

“The Queen, the queen of England. She speaks Korean,” Jungeun retorted without missing a beat. “Mind your own business, Taeyeon.” Her aunt was only 9 years older than her, so she had always called her by her name.

Taeyeon leaned against the door frame with prying eyes and an insufferably smug smirk. “You telling me to mind my own businesses, mean you’ve got business here. A secret boyfriend perhaps?” she taunted, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Taeyeon was sharp—the whole Kim family was extremely intelligent, actually—and as careless as she looked, nothing got past her

Jungeun rolled her eyes and pushed Taeyeon aside on her way back to her room. “Are you driving me wearing that?” she noted, pointing at the older woman’s Olaf pajamas.

“Yes, I’m coming straight back to my comfy bed once I drive your wimpy ass to school, as a matter of fact. I still don’t get why you don’t just take the car, kids here beg their parents for a car as soon as they turn sixteen,” her aunt replied with an exasperated expression.

Jungeun sighed, she had already explained this to her several times. “We can’t drive until we’re eighteen years old in Korea, so my first experience behind the wheel was literally a week ago when you tried to teach me the basics. Emphasis on ‘tried’ because you can’t teach for shit.”

Taeyeon shrugged, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Well, you better take a driving course at school or something, because I’ll only drive you this week. I need my beauty sleep, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ll figure something out,” Jungeun replied as she closed her bedroom door and rushed to get changed. The girl actually meant what she said, she’d try to find an instructor as soon as she could. Her aunt was a nurse and she worked the night shifts: three times a week, from 7pm to 7am, so Jungeun felt bad for making her stay awake an extra hour just to drive her to school.

— — —

The school was one of those exclusive private institutions, very posh, that much she knew. So she expected the whole student body to be just like those rich kids she had seen on that Netflix TV show she had recently started watching, Gossip Girl. But her first impression, that came in the form of a chirpy girl with long brown hair and full bangs, was quite the opposite.

“Hi, I’m Chuu from the Student Council and I’ll be helping you out on your first day. It’s really nice to meet you, Jungeun,” the lively girl beamed loudly as she ran toward her at the school’s front office.

The girl named Chuu did all the talking, luckily—Jungeun was still taking everything in. In fact, she barely took a pause to breathe as she led Jungeun to their classroom. “Our school is not like most schools in the US, we have fixed classrooms, so I guess it’s kind of similar to Korea, right? I heard you just moved here from Korea.”

Jungeun raised her eyebrows in surprise, had her dad told the school about her situation or had students already dug up information on her?

“Mr. Harrison, the counselor, told the Student Council president a bit about you. He said you’re from Korea, that’s why I volunteered. I moved here in during primary school,” Chuu quickly explained, noticing Jungeun’s tense expression.

“Oh, I guess that makes sense,” Jungeun replied with a relieved smile, it wouldn't be easy to let her guard down in this new environment. “Yeah, we have fixed classes with numbers over there. I was in 2-1 last year, since high schools are only 3 years long in Korea. ”

As they neared a classroom with a sign that said “Senior Class A”, Chuu extended her arms toward the door, Jazz hands and all. “Here it is! We all have classes together here until lunchtime and then we move about according to our elective classes.”

Inside, Chuu introduced to her another Korean girl, who had been keenly focused on a book in her lap up until Chuu rushed over to give her a tight hug, almost knocking her big round spectacles. “Heejinie!” the bubbly girl exclaimed. “Long time no see, I missed you so so so much.”

“We saw each other last week,” the other girl commented, her attention still on the thick book.

Chuu crossed her arms, pouting with a deep frown, that didn’t look threatening at all. “But now we’re in school again, it’s different. Didn’t you miss me too?”

The other girl sighed and let out a chuckle, putting the book down on her desk as she said, “Yeah, sure. I missed you so so so much, too–oh, new girl, hi,” she greeted as she peered behind Chuu.

Chuu stepped aside to introduce Jungeun. “This is the girl I talked to you about. Her name is Kim Jungeun and she’s from Korea.”

The short girl in spectacles stretched her hand toward Jungeun and shook her hand. “I’m Jeon Heejin, nice to meet you. Unlike most kids around here, I just kept my Korean name, no English name. So, just call me Heejin.”

Chuu stomped her feet in frustration. “You should’ve let me pick a name for you! I’m really good.”

“And risk ending up with a made-up name like Chuu?” Heejin snorted with a raised brow.

“I invented it when I was eleven years old,” Chuu argued with an over-the-top pout. “What, you think it’s funny? I think it’s pretty and unique,” she added, crossing her arms with a satisfied grin to get her point across.

“Don’t put words in my mouth. I’m just saying, I’m totally fine with using my Korean name," Heejin reasoned calmly, taking her glasses off. “Do you go by any English name?” she added, turning to Jungeun.

“Should I?” Jungeun replied in surprise. “I hadn’t really thought about it,” she said, rubbing her chin pensively.

“Up to you, really. Although I guess most kids here do. Some of them have these really pretentious names–I mean, what kind of name is Yves, for example? Yves Saint Laurent?,” Heejin said with a scoff and an amused expression.

Chuu sprung forward, covering her friend’s mouth worriedly. “Lower your voice, you know the walls have ears at this school and I don’t want to get in trouble with them,” she whispered in a reproaching manner.

Before Jungeun could even understand what the two girls were talking about, the teacher made her way in, stopping next to her desk. “Everyone, settle down and find your seats, please. As many of you may already know, we have a new student this year,” the old woman announced as she beckoned Jungeun to join her side. She was a chubby fifty something-year-old with a bob haircut and a warm smile. “Introduce yourself, my dear.”

“Oh boy, here go,” Jungeun muttered under her breath before turning around to face the entire classroom.

— — —

“How about Kimberly Lippington?” Chuu suddenly wondered out loud in the cafeteria during lunch, as she leisurely took a spoonful of her pudding.

Heejin frowned, confused. “Huh, who’s that?”

“I'm talking about Jungeun's English name—Kimberly as in Kim and Lippington because I like her lipstick color. I think her English name should somehow reflect her image,” Chuu explained with a serious expression.

A high-pitched cackle could be heard from the table next to them but Jungeun didn’t pay it too much attention. “No offense, but that kind of makes me south like a dead British writer,” Jungeun replied, rubbing the back of her neck.

“I second that,” Heejin quickly chimed in. “I bet you watched Paddington during summer break and thought it was a cool name,” she said, pointing at Chuu with her dessert spoon. “Also,” she added, lowering her voice to a mere whisper as she imperceptibly nodded toward the loud nearby table, “why can’t they mind their own business?”

“Who are they?” Jungeun asked in a low voice, stealing a glance at the group next to them. Only two out the four girls were visible from where she was sitting. “And why are we whispering?”

Chuu brought her index finger to her lips, gesturing for Heejin and Jungeun to keep quiet as right then the four girls stood up, passing by their table as they left the cafeteria. Chuu let out a long breath once the four girls were out of sight. “They’re in the cheerleading squad. They’re not bad kids but they’re kind of scary.”

“They’re mean,” Heejin corrected Chuu. “Even you have to admit it.”

“Whatever. They point is, at this school, we don’t really have those scary bullies that you see in movies but some kids, like those you just saw, can be a bit…entitled. Most of them are in the soccer team or the cheerleading squad.”

“How stereotypical,” Jungeun quipped, watching with mild interest as the four distant figures disappeared behind the cafeteria’s mahogany double doors.

“As long as you don’t cross them or get on their wrong side, you’ll be fine. They mainly keep to themselves,” Chuu told Jungeun with a reassuring smile. “Anyway, let’s go, fourth period is about to start.”

— — —

Before she knew it, Jungeun was stuffing her notebook in her bag as Mr. Norris, their History of Film professor, summarized today’s lesson. Jungeun was amazed at the school’s seemingly inexhaustible number of resources. The school’s media room was about the size of an indie cinema room and the red velvet chairs were surprisingly comfortable. Film was her last class of the day and the only afternoon elective she shared with both Chuu and Heejin. It was nice to end the day with two familiar faces, she had already started feeling comfortable around them.

Chuu had been explaining the school’s club system and the available options as they walked back to their homeroom, when she got startled by Jungeun’s sudden outburst. “You’re telling this fancy school doesn’t have a dance club? Even my public school in Korea had a dance crew,” she exclaimed, raising her voice for the first time since she had set a foot in this school.

Chuu shook her head with a sorrowful pout. “You could join Yves’ mom’s dance studio, they teach ballet there,” she suggested.

“Don’t,” Heejin interjected, her serious tone kept Jungeun from questioning the girl. “It’s mostly for younger kids and the instructors are all super strict and intimidating. My little sister went to a few classes there last year and she came back crying twice before she quit.”

Chuu put her arm across Jungeun’s shoulders, a cheeky grin adorning her face. “That’s why Heejin and I are in the school band. If you’re into music it’s either the band or the cheerleading squad. You should come check out the band.”

“I like singing, I guess, but I can’t play any instrument. I really like dancing though, I’ve been doing it since I was little,” Jungeun replied dejectedly, letting out a sigh as she leaned against her homeroom’s desk. “What’s cheerleading got to do with music anyway, didn’t you say that’s where all those mean girls gather?”

Heejin collected her notebooks and stuffed them in her locker at the back of the classroom. “There’s no set curriculum for clubs at Braxton. So for example, at the band you can either perform with the official school band or meet in smaller groups and just do your own thing. As long as you’re actually working on something, they let you be. The same applies to other clubs, so a lot of the cheerleaders dance on the side, I think,” the girl explained, sitting next to Jungeun as they waited for Chuu to finish fixing her bangs.

Chuu set down her mirror with a satisfied smile. “Yves and Olivia are super good. If you’re really interested in dancing, you should give it a try. Club period starts in five minutes, we can take you to the gym since it’s your first day,” she encouraged the skeptical girl.

Jungeun gauged her options in silence for a moment. Joining a club was mandatory at Braxton high school and she had been told that she could try all electives and clubs for a week before submitting her final schedule on the school’s website. Going to the gym to check out just one cheerleading practice wouldn’t constitute a binding agreement in any way and despite the two girls’ warnings about the cheerleaders, they both seemed to agree that it was the only choice available if Jungeun wanted to dance.

“Fine, take me there,” Jungeun finally groaned, making up her mind.

“She’s practically throwing you to the wolves," Heejin commented in an ominous tone. “You’ll be fine though, just be careful. Chuu can be a bit too optimistic and forgiving,” Heejin whispered to Jungeun as the bouncy Student Council member led the way, oblivious to the conversation behind her.

— — —

“Well then, show us what you got…that is, if you’re actually serious about joining the team,” demanded the girl that had introduced herself as Vivi, her arms crossed, mimicking the stance of all the twelve girls behind her.

I don’t even know if I wanna join yet, Jungeun inwardly noted while looking around the gym nervously. The members of the squad were indeed very intimidating and she didn’t see any teacher supervising the class, which made her feel even more anxious. She shuffled her feet and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. From the bleachers, Chuu and Heejin gave her a thumbs-up, trying to encourage her. The friendly gesture actually helped her regain some confidence—it wasn’t just her, she had two allies rooting for her.

“Should I connect my phone?” Jungeun asked the team in a calmer tone.

“That’s fine, my phone’s already connected to the sound system,” said a girl with long black hair and bangs giving Jungeun a kind smile as she offered her iPhone. Jungeun smiled back, returning the friendly gesture, but her smile froze at the girl’s next words. “Play whatever you wanna dance to, Kimberly Lippington,” the girl mocked as her innocent smile morphed into a Cheshire grin that gave Jungeun the chills.

“Jinsoul, just sit back,” instructed another girl in a bored drawl. “The principal already called my sister to his office last semester over some complaints about the cheerleader’s attitude. Don’t fuck it up on the first day of class.”

The thick tension in the air was, to Jungeun’s relief, interrupted by the entrance of two women.

“Hey, girls. Sorry about that, Miss Ha and I got held up dealing with some uniform issues at the main office. The new ones will be ready by next Monday,” said an older woman sporting black joggers paired with a white t-shirt and Nike Air Force 1 combo. Jungeun innerly prayed that the woman was some sort of adult authority, it felt like she was slowly getting cornered by the cheerleading team and she yearned for any kind of lifesaver.

“Who’s that?” demanded an annoyed voice that came from behind the only adult in the room. The moment the owner of the voice became visible, Jungeun felt her breath hitch and her eyebrows rise in surprise. The pretty girl that Jungeun had bumped into this morning was now standing a few feet away from her, a securitizing expression visible in her semblance as she pointed an accusing finger at her.

“She’s trying out for the team,” Vivi explained with a shrug.

“Didn’t we agree that anybody who wanted to join would be more than welcome to do so?” asked the older woman in joggers in a reproaching yet friendly tone.

“She’s not a freshman though, she’s a senior,” Vivi replied, raising an eyebrow daringly.

“Very well, I suppose. Nice to meet you, I’m Coach Kim, Hyoyeon Kim,” the older woman introduced herself, ambling over to where the cheerleading squad stood by the bleachers, studying Jungeun who still shuffled nervously in the center of the gym.

“H-hi,” Jungeun replied, frustration setting at the base of her stomach in response to the evident stutter in her voice. “I’m Kim Jungeun from class A, a senior,” she continued, this time with more conviction.

“A fellow Kim, my expectations just went up. Please, you may begin your routine whenever you’re ready,” Coach Kim urged with a gracious flourish of the hand.

The majority of the team had taken a seat in the front rows of the bleachers, arms and legs crossed, with a judgmental scowl plastered across their faces. In the middle of that intimidating group sat that pretty girl from Jungeun’s morning jog donning an impatient grimace that juxtaposed her entire carefree demeanor earlier at the beach. From the way the rest of the girls had just moved aside for her to take her rightful place, it seemed like she was the captain or president–or whatever they called the leader of the team.

Jungeun closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath, performing in front of big crowds wasn't something new to her by any means, but this unfamiliar setting in an unfamiliar country was making her feel completely out of her element. If there was one thing that she truly hated was feeling cornered, and that’s the precise effect that this ordeal had had in her. She scrolled through the Spotify app until she found the song that she was looking for, she had danced to it just months ago with her friends from her previous school and knew the routine by heart—Jungeun herself had choreographed it, after all. Moreover, it made her feel confident and sexy. It was time to regain control of the situation and show them who was truly in charge.

Jungeun hit play and set the phone down, letting the alluring reggae intro of Side to Side by Ariana Grande reverberate throughout the spacious hall. Her stiff lips gave place to a bold smirk as she executed every movement with complete poise and dexterity, wafting along the room’s sleek floor like a bird about to take wing—yes, this was where she shined the brightest.

— — —

“Oh my god, Jungeun! You didn’t tell us you were that good,” Chuu exclaimed, recklessly trotting down the stands.

“Did you see Yves's face when you walked to the bleachers and kneeled down? She was having a complete mental breakdown when you rolled on the floor all sexy,” Heejin whispered once she had made her way down. “Feel free to try that on me anytime, by the way,” she added cheekily.

Chuu nudged Heejin, her semblance midway between an amused grin and a reproaching pout.

“What?” Heejin retorted defensively. “I’m pretty sure half the cheerleaders have the hots for her. The term “girl crush” was invented after her,” she said, pointing at an embarrassed Jungeun.

Jungeun rubbed the back of her neck with a slight flush across her cheeks. “Oh, come on, I just did one of my old routines, nothing out of this world. I performed it with my dance crew at a school festival last year,” she disclosed casually, brushing the whole thing aside. “So, do you think they’ll let me join?” she then inquired, biting her lip and revealing just how nervous she truly was.

“Of course, they will! You’re so so so talented,” Chuu assured Jungeun with the widest grin possible.

“Yeah, they’d have to be stupid not to let you in.” Heejin agreed with a snort. “But then again, some of them are pretty dense,” she added before clearing her throat as a girl approached the group.

“You can leave now, we’ll discuss it this afternoon and get back to you tomorrow,” said morning jog-girl, who Jungeun now suspected to be called Yves. The girl had this distant yet intense expression that didn’t let as much as a peek at her inner thoughts or emotions, she was nothing but a huge question mark to Jungeun. She had looked so laid-back this morning, but at school, she looked so up-tight, it was disconcerting in more than one way.

“Looks like you got some moves, Kimberly,” Jinsoul conceded next to Yves, in a mocking tone that was vastly dimmed by the impressed grin on her face.

“Thanks, I guess” Jungeun replied warily before taking off with Chuu and Heejin on each of her sides.

— — —

That night, Jungeun finally got a good night’s sleep. She had gone to bed with a small sense of accomplishment and her previous worries had slowly begun to fade away, so a relaxed grin spread across her face as soon as she opened her eyes the next morning. Some things, however, never change. She was still an early bird and the scarce signs of sunlight that met her eyes when she rolled out of bed confirmed it. So she did just what she did in Korea every morning, grabbing her sports shoes and heading out for a run—bringing a slice of her daily routine all the way to California with her gave the sense of permanence that she was dying to hold onto.

For the first time since she had moved here though, she decided to take a small detour at the promenade and head for the ocean, slowing her pace down to a complete halt a few feet away from the crashing waves. She sat down, burying her fingers in the cold sand, and looked at the horizon as the sun made its way up there where the ocean met the sky. Jungeun had to admit that it was a pretty view, the bright colors and cool breeze was a huge contrast to the gray hues and polluted fog that was so characteristic of Seoul. The relaxed and carefree disposition of this small town was gradually permeating her own temper. Maybe a change of air wasn’t such a bad idea, after all, she thought with a faint smile.

“You’re in, Kim Jungeun,” a resolute but soft voice announced behind her, interrupting her thoughts. Jungeun turned around with a questioning face that was met by a familiar girl. “I voted against you, for the record. But it was up to the whole team,” Yves informed her, eager to continue with her morning run. “There’s a one month trial period for new recruits—mess up and you’re out,” she ended before making her way back to the sidewalk that bordered the beach.

“How’s your ankle doing?” Jungeun asked in a loud voice before Yves could get too far.

“Just fine, don’t worry about it. You haven’t seen me dance, so don’t get too cocky just yet,” Yves exclaimed with a defiant edge to her voice before disappearing into the distance.

Unbeknownst to Jungeun, the right corner of her lips had turned up as she let on an amused smile. “She thinks she’s so cool,” she whispered shaking her head as she turned back around to take one last look at the inviting sunrise before getting to her feet to resume her morning jog.


	2. Full House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rough unedited version of this chapter was almost 20 pages long so I decided to split it in two. Expect an update with the second part within the next couple of days :]

“Jungie,” exclaimed a familiar voice, interrupting Yves’ comprehensive criticism. It was Friday and therefore the squad's last practice of the week so Yves had instructed them to go over their whole routine again while her attentive gaze scouted for even the most imperceptible mistakes. Jungeun had to give it to the girl, Yves could give her a run for her money when it came to perfectionism. 

Jungeun turned around with an incredulous look on her face. It couldn’t be, could it? For a second she thought she had just been hearing things but the relaxed frame waving at her by the gym entrance cleared up all of her suspicions. Why on Earth was Sunmi at Braxton High of all places?

“Who’s interrupting out practice?” Yves grumbled with an annoyed sigh, breaking Jungeun’s current train of thoughts.

Jungeun bit her lip guilty, clearing her throat. “I-I’m sorry, that’s my-uh, my friend,” she replied with a nervous grin.

“Well, go tell her that this is a closed practice. And make it quick,” Yves ordered her, hands on her hips, tapping her foot impatiently.

“Yes, right. Sorry,” Jungeun muttered before hurrying away to meet her old friend. 

“Wait, isn’t that Sunmi from Pantone Studio?” Jungeun heard Jinsoul whisper behind her as a sudden series of gasps seemed to halt the cheerleaders’ practice altogether.

“Oh my god, yeah! I’ve seen her on their Youtube channel,” Vivi squealed trying to contain her excitement. 

A few more hastily steps away and the rest of the commotion was out of Jungeun's earshot. “What the hell are you doing here?” she asked with utter bewilderment. Last time she had seen Sunmi was a month ago, in Korea, where she was supposed to be right now too.

“Pantone is filming in Los Angeles with Jay Park. Jinho is choreographing his latest song and the rest of us are here as back-up dancers. Pretty cool, right?” Sunmi replied, raising her right eyebrow cockily.

“Wow, that’s–that’s actually pretty cool, yeah,” Jungeun agreed, nodding as she was suddenly enveloped in Sunmi’s long arms. 

“It’s been so long, kiddo,” Sunmi commented as she finally broke the hug, patting Jungeun on the back, affectionately. “Don’t tell me you changed our dance crew for those cheerleaders over there?” she mocked with an incredulous expression.

Jungeun shook her head furiously. “Of course not, it’s complicated. Anyway, what I meant is, what are you doing here in Braxton. I mean, Los Angeles is a 2-hour drive away.”

“You said yourself, Jungie,” Sunmi replied in a teasing tone as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I drove here, duh. They gave us the weekend off and I suddenly remembered that a certain brat I know happened to move here.”

Jungeun nodded slowly, scratching her head still seemingly confused. “Right, but how did you know I’d be at the gym. I mean I know you know that I study at Braxton but–”

“Honestly, I just drove here without a plan. I was going to call but then I bumped into this smiley girl at the front door who was putting up some posters for the student council or something, I don’t know. She asked me if I needed any help and then squealed so loud I had to cover my ears when I told her I was looking for you. She looked very excited or possibly high, not sure why though,” Sunmi explained as she shrugged.

Jungeun snorted, amused at the image of her cheerful friend jumping and screeching like a toddler who’d eaten too much candy. “Yeah, that totally sounds like Chuu.”

“Anyway, she told me to come look here and here I am,” Sunmi replied with open arms, as if announcing her own arrival.

“Wow, that’s still–”

“Jungeun,” Yves called loudly, standing next to the rest of the team with a reproaching frown, cutting their impromptu reunion short. “Are you planning on keeping us waiting all day? If that’s the case you can just leave,” the girl added with a kind of finality in her voice that didn’t leave any room for defiance.

“No, I’m sorry,” Jungeun apologized hurriedly in Yves direction. “I gotta go, sorry. Can you wait for me, though?” she whispered to Sunmi, looking over her shoulder stealthily to make sure that Yves wasn’t on her way over to smack her face—from the looks of it, she was only seconds away from physical violence.

“Did you think I came all the way here for a mere glimpse at that dorky face of yours? I’m staying the whole weekend. I already texted Taeyeon and she said it was OK. I wanted to make it a surprise,” Sunmi replied wiggling her eyebrows 

Jungeun who had already taken a few steps toward the team, swiveled her head around at Sunmi’s last words, mouth slightly ajar. “Well, consider me surprised,” Jungeun offered in a low whisper.

“Good. Now, go. Shoo!” Sunmi replied as she motioned with her hand for the girl to resume her way back to the ream. “The sooner you finish, the sooner we can go get some delicious dinner.”

“That’s Sunmi, isn’t she?” Jinsoul questioned Jungeun excitedly as soon as she had assumed her original position for the routine.

“From Pantone, right?” Vivi provided as eagerly as Jinsoul, eyes shining with a brightness that Jungeun had never seen in her normally piercing eyes.

“Can we please continue with our practice? We don’t have all day. Some of us have things to do after school,” Yves roared once again, successfully getting the whole squad’s undivided attention. The gym fell so unnervingly quiet that you could’ve heard a pin drop.

“Right, sorry,” Jinsoul immediately apologized before clearing her throat in embarrassment as she lowered her head to hide her flushed cheeks. It was a subtle gesture but Jungeun had noticed it. She felt like little by little she was beginning to see behind the curtain that concealed Yves’ clique.

— — —

“That girl is fucking intense,” Sunmi pointed out as she made a left, taking the small town’s main road. It was 7 PM in the evening but the streets weren’t what you would call crowded; a few cars here and there, a few pedestrians here and there.

“Don’t even get me started,” Jungeun groaned, leaning her head against the passenger’s window lethargically. “Take a right over there and park in front of Giacco’s. The pizza there is—oh, just wait until you try it,” she remarked, kissing the fingertips of her pinched fingers.

“So how did you end up joining the cheerleading squad?” Sunmi asked as she parked in front of the Italian restaurant, a two-story Mission Revival building.

“There’s no dancing crew or club or anything. Apparently, we’ll only have activities as a cheerleading team during the first and last months of this semester. So, it’ll be more chill in October and November and we can do our thing, more like a dancing crew. The squad has some really good dancers,” Jungeun explained, closing the rental sedan’s door shut.

“Is it worth it, though?” Sunmi asked with a worried frown as she caught Jungeun’s eyes across the car.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Jungeun confessed and let out a dejected sigh, walking to the restaurant’s main entrance. “But it’s not like I even have a choice. I mean, look at this town, not the kind of place where you’ll find a different dance studio in every corner. I heard there’s a classical ballet academy, but you know that’s not really my thing.”

“Table for two,” Sunmi requested in perfect English and a young-looking boy led them to a table by the window on the first floor. “You’re right, I guess. I’m just worried about you. It didn’t seem like a very friendly crowd,” she added once they had taken their seats. The boy poured some water for them and handed them a pair of brown leather menus.

“I’ll live. I started going to Pantone when I was merely twelve years old and I survived the torture that were your classes, so I’m pretty sure I can handle this. Have you suddenly forgotten about that temper of yours?” Jungeun pointedly asked with a raised eyebrow and a knowing smirk.

“I do get a little carried away when I teach, don’t I?” Sunmi granted with the most innocent smile she could muster before taking a gulp of her cold glass of water. “I just want the best for my students, is all, so I have to be a bit strict. You know I’m actually the kindest and sweetest outside of the practice room.”

Jungeun snorted loudly, hiding half of her amused face behind the menu. “Strict doesn’t even begin to describe,” she retorted. “But you’re onto something, maybe. I think that temper of hers—the captain, I mean—comes from a good place. Maybe, I don’t know for sure yet. She’s such a perfectionist, that much I know,” she continued, eyes fixed on the passing cars outside the window. The sun was setting, painting the streets with hues of pink and orange tones.

“Sounds like someone I know,” Sunmi mused, flashing Jungeun a knowing smirk, which the younger girl merely countered with a roll of her eyes. “You are also the most level-headed person I know though, you know how to keep your cool. Remember that time I almost punched Chanyeol when he bailed on us a week before our show at DDP?”

Jungeun’s face contorted from the unwanted trip down memory lane. “Don’t even remind of that, I had to literally hold you back. What were you even thinking? The dude’s twice your size—not that he’d actually hit you back but still.”

“Ah, good times,” Sunmi said with a satisfied smile and a hint of nostalgia in her eyes. “Anyway, my point is that you can probably use that coolness of yours to keep that girl’s fire in check and get the team to do some great things together. You said it yourself that the team has some good dancers, so you have the talent. Now, you just need some direction. How about sharing a Hawaiian pizza?”

“It’s definitely too early to tell but maybe you’re right,” Jungeun agreed pensively with a faint nod. “Not about the Hawaiian pizza though, that’s just bonkers. How about a Margherita, instead?” she suddenly suggested, reacting to Sunmi’s last words with evident disgust.

“Let’s just ask the waiter for their most popular pizza, then,” the older woman replied, waving at the waiter who was currently refilling another table’s glasses. “I’m starving. I’d honest-to-god eat a piece of cardboard if it looked appetizing enough.”

“Sure,” Jungeun relented with a shrug. “Enough about my boring cheerleading squad, though. Pantone is filming music videos with Jay Park now? Now, that I wanna hear more about,” she urged with a silly grin and sparkly eyes. “Maybe I should’ve stayed in Seoul,” Jungeun muttered under her breath, squinting at Sunmi with made-up indignation before the older woman had any time to reply.

— — —

Having Sunmi as a driver instructor had proven to be equally as stressful and dangerous as having Taeyeon, except that maybe her friend didn’t scream to a deafening level every time she made a mistake. So, at least her ears were happy with this new copilot. Sunmi and Jungeun had driven for hours in the morning, stopping by the beach to have some hot dogs for lunch and stroll down the peer, while Taeyeon recovered from her last shift of the week.

The oldest of the three woke up a little over 4 PM and walked downstairs still in her pajamas to join the other two girls who were currently sitting in the living room, watching an episode of Knowing Bros as they shared a tub of Oreo ice cream that they had bought on their way back home. 

Taeyeon yawned rambunctiously as she plopped down on the couch, stretching her arms all the way to where Jungeun sat quietly with her eyes focused on the TV, just to annoy her. “I’m off today and tomorrow, so how about we go out to have some fun tonight? How does Korean barbeque sound, eh?” she suggested, wriggling her eyebrow.

“Oh, yes! And let’s have Jungie drive us back—I just think it would be a great opportunity for you to drive at night. That way we can drink,” Sunmi interjected excitedly, shifting her position on the sofa to face Jungeun and Taeyeon.

“I like the way you think,” Taeyeon replied with a devilish smirk, giving Sunmi a thumbs-up.

“Is it gonna be like last Christmas when Taeyeon went to Seoul to visit and brought a bottle of tequila with her?” Jungeun questioned with a sudden shudder, panic visible in her eyes. Taeyeon went back to Korea pretty often to visit Jungeun and her family. She had confessed on one occasion that she liked Jungeun’s family way more than her own parents who were rather strict and cold and Jungeun couldn’t help but agree with the older girl. She had only seen her grandparents on her dad’s side a few times, but she had never left with a very good impression, she always felt rather unwelcome. Her family in Seoul however, was nothing but warm and hospitable, most of her friends and relatives loved visiting her grandparents’ house, and Taeyeon was no exception. They treated her aunt as her own granddaughter. “Grandma was so worried when she found you two sprawled in the balcony next morning,” Jungeun recalled, covering her face in second-hand embarrassment.

“Hey but Grandpa was very much willing to have a few shots with us,” Taeyeon noted before letting out a cackle.

“He fell asleep on the sofa, Taeyeon. Poor Grandpa was red like a tomato,” Jungeun replied with a reproaching sigh, shaking her head.

“I don’t know who got redder—Taeyeon or your grandfather. They both looked like a tomato,” Sunmi chimed in, pointing at Taeyeon’s face with a chuckle. The oldest woman simply huffed in return, crossing her arms over her chest childishly. 

Jungeun had forgotten how much fun spending time with the two girls could be. They had both adopted the role of her older sister or confidant at some point in their lives; Taeyeon, when Jungeun was in primary school; and Sunmi, in middle school and high school, after Taeyeon had moved to California for college. All three of them had attended Bongsan International School, a kindergarten to twelfth-grade private school, so Taeyeon and Sunmi hit it off well as soon as Jungeun introduced them. They were both a little too carefree and reckless. And Jungeun, despite being the youngest, always ended up having to talk some sense into them before the two girls got the group into too much trouble. But they were family to Jungeun, that much she was certain of. And as she leaned back and climbed off the couch to avoid becoming collateral damage in Taeyeon and Sunmi’s impromptu pillow fight, she fell a wave of warmth and familiarity wash over her. This childish chaos around her made her feel right at home, for the first time since she had moved to the States.

— — —

“You’re doing amazing, sweetie,” Taeyeon joked from the passenger seat as Jungeun followed her aunt’s directions to the Korean restaurant. Taeyeon had mentioned earlier that one of her good friends from college was the son of the owner of the restaurant where they were heading— Jung’s House. “You’re a little too close to the next car. Try to park again,” added the other perfectionist in her family. 

It had taken three tries for Taeyeon to be satisfied with Jungeun’s parking abilities. Jungeun was about to lose it when Taeyeon finally opened the door, carefully inspecting the space between her car and the parking lot lines. After a full round around the car, the older woman turned around and gave Jungeun an ‘okay’ sign with her hand. 

“Thank God,” Jungeun muttered, as she hit her forehead against the steering wheel in relief.

“This place looks nice,” Sunmi noted, looking around the packed restaurant. 

The door sensor behind them rang again as they waited for the host to find them a table—the cheery melody signaling the arrival of another customer, “Taeyeon?” a tall man called, tapping the woman on the shoulder as he closed the front door behind him.

“Hae In?” she replied, gaping in surprise. “I was just telling my friends about you.”

“You finally came to check out our new location? Took you long enough, even though you live just around the corner,” he greeted back in an accusing tone.

Taeyeon flipped her hair sassily. “Well, I’m a busy woman.”

“And so is this place, you know? Gonna be hard to find a table on a Saturday night,” the man warned them. He was wearing plain white pants and a navy-blue shirt but could’ve passed for a runway model, no doubt. His small face and wide smile reminded Jungeun of someone, but she couldn’t quite tell who. “Johnny, you got any table for my friends?” he asked the waiter at the front desk.

The boy behind the register shook his head. “We got a thirty-minute waitlist,” he replied apologetically.

Hae In tapped his finger against the wooden counter, assessing the situation. “Where did you sit my sister—at the back?”

“Yeah,” the boy replied. “In your usual spot.”

“Then you girls can come have dinner with us, if you’d like. It’s just my sister and some friends, and the room at the back is big enough for at least ten people,” Hae in suggested as he pointed to a private room all the way to the back of the establishment. “Can’t let you leave with empty stomachs when you’re already here.”

Taeyeon looked at the other two girls, studying their reactions, and ultimately shrugged. “Sure, why not? It smells so good that I don’t think I can wait any longer.” 

Hae In led them to the back of the restaurant, walking down a short corridor that had photographs of Jung’s House’s other locations hanging on its walls. He and Taeyeon were enthusiastically catching up in front, while Jungeun and Sunmi followed closely behind. 

“Hey, Soul,” Hae In greeted one of the girls who was already sitting inside. “Hey, girls, how’s it going? Where is Lucas?” he added once he saw the rest of the group.

“He’s running a bit late. Soccer practice, the usual,” answered a voice that sounded awfully similar to Vivi’s. 

Sunmi fought hard to control her laugh, a chuckle stuck at the base of her throat thanks to Jungeun’s timely yet subtle jab to her friend’s ribs 

“Great,” Jungeun mumbled as she looked around the room. Hae In had taken a seat next to Jinsoul, who seemed to be frozen halfway through a gulp of Coke, her glass still inches away from her mouse as she studied her older brother’s guests intently. In front of Jinsoul sat Vivi and Yves, both wearing equally perplexed frowns.

“Oh, right.” Hae In quipped, seeming to sense the palpable confusion in the air. “This is Taeyeon, a friend from college. I’ve been inviting her to try out our meat for the longest time but she’s playing hard to get. They didn’t have any empty tables so I’m sure she was about to run away but then I came in and kidnapped her,” he proudly explained.

“Not really how things happened, but if you know Hae In then you’re probably aware of his tendency to exaggerate. I always told him he should’ve majored in Theater instead of Business,” Taeyeon retaliated, taking the first empty seat that she found. “This is my niece and her friend,” she said, introducing the other two girls who were still frozen by the door.

“Only Jungie’s friend, not yours?” Sunmi exclaimed, snapping out of her momentary shock and grabbing the chair right in front Taeyeon. That didn’t leave Jungeun with much of a choice, the only available seat was the chair between Yves and Sunmi, across Hae In, unless she wanted to rudely leave that spot empty and sit at the head of the table. Yeah, she wasn’t that desperate to avoid contact with the cheerleaders. 

“You’re under probation after throwing that scoop of ice cream at me earlier,” Taeyeon deadpanned in Sunmi’s direction as Jungeun squeezed between the wall and Sunmi’s seat to take hers.

“We actually know each other. Don’t we, Lippington?” Jinsoul blurted out, interrupting Sunmi and Taeyeon’s still ongoing banter. 

“We do, in fact,” Jungeun confirmed. She didn’t know what game Jinsoul was playing but certainly, two could play that game. She wasn’t about to back down or cower in fear like she suspected the cheerleader wanted her to. “I transferred to Braxton this year and your sister has been rather unpleasant to me this whole week. I imagine you must be really proud of her,” Jungeun then said to Hae In. 

“I-I’m sorry. It’s true,” Jinsoul admitted a bit too readily. Jungeun hadn’t expected the girl to fold so soon. “I was thinking about apologizing about it on Monday but today is as good of an opportunity as ever. I am sorry, honestly.”

Jungeun eyed Jinsoul with skepticism. The girl seemed genuinely apologetic but she couldn’t believe she was getting an apology so soon. “Is it because you want to get close to Sunmi or something?” she wondered in place of an answer.

“No–well, maybe that too. Honestly, I just realized that I might have been a little too mean. I actually like how Lippington sounds, that’s why I called you that earlier—or maybe it’s too long. How about Lippie, instead?” she asked, gently flapping her long eyelashes toward Jungeun for a more dramatic effect. This was the same girl, along with Vivi and Yves, who had been not-so-subtly teasing her all week—at the gym, at the cafeteria, and on the main hallway on Thursday. 

Jungeun scanned the rest of the table. Sunmi, Hae In, and Vivi looked back at her with expectant expressions, while Taeyeon seemed utterly disinterested. Next to her, Yves was busying herself with her phone on her lap, so her face was completely hidden behind a veil of hair. 

“Fine, sure. Apology accepted,” Jungeun finally replied. Jinsoul sounded truthful enough and she was more than eager to leave this awkward conversation behind them. She wasn’t one to hold grudges, anyway.

“Yay, best friends forever,” Taeyeon singsonged, lifelessly. “Did I mention that I’m starving?” she whined.

The private room’s door opened abruptly, revealing a lanky boy with a baby face. “Sorry, guys. Viv, save your speech. I know I’m late,” he greeted, getting rid of the remaining tension in the room. “Oh, new girl. Hi, I’m Lucas, Vivi’s handsome brother.”

The rest of the dinner was surprisingly uneventful. Taeyeon and Hae In shared some stories about their college years. Hae In talked about his family and what a cry-baby Jinsoul used to be when she was a kid, always tagging along with him everywhere he went. Vivi and Lucas, in turn, related some anecdotes about their vacations in Hong Kong where they would often go to visit their grandparents. Sunmi and Jungeun proudly bragged about some of their biggest achievements with Pantone. Except for Yves, everybody became more comfortable and talkative the fuller their tummies got. 

Jungeun felt a tug on her red blouse sometime when there was barely any meat left and the volume of the table’s casual chat had considerably died down. “I need a smoke. Come along, I don’t want to go by myself,” said Sunmi, holding a pack of cigarettes.

Jungeun sighed. “What are you, five?”

“I’ll go,” Lucas volunteered eagerly.

“Lucas, you don’t smoke. Do you?” Vivi noted in an accusatory voice.

He coughed nervously. “Right, no. I don’t smoke.” His poor acting hadn’t really fooled anybody but he leaned back in his chair anyway and stayed mum.

“Fine, fine. But stay at least three steps away from me, I don’t want to stink,” Jungeun complied. A breath of fresh air didn’t sound like such a bad idea. 

Right at the front door, Jungeun changed her mind. The bathroom sign reminded her of a more urgent matter. “I’ll be right there. I just really gotta go to the restroom first.”

The view that greeted her when she came out to find Sunmi wasn’t quite what she was expecting.

“You look like a smart girl so I know you wouldn’t let a chance like that pass—oh, hey, Jungie. I was just telling Yves how foolish of her it would be to misuse your skills.” 

“You don’t need to tell me that. I’ve got eyes, too. I knew how good she was when she auditioned for the squad,” Yves bit back, running her hand through her hair.

Jungeun was taken aback by Yves honest admission. “I don’t mean to be rude or anything, I’m just curious. Why did you vote against my joining the team if you think I’m good?”

The cheerleader captain sighed, she looked so done with this conversation. “Being good and being an asset to the team are two different things. We were fine without you. Your addition could mess our dynamics. I’m just being rational here.”

“Don’t you accept new members every year?” Sunmi countered, throwing her cigarette butt into a metal can a few feet away. 

“That’s different, they’re freshmen. They’re the future of our team, it’s a future investment–” Yves replied, struggling to keep her tone even, as she threw a quick glance at the phone. “Anyway, I have to go. My sister is waiting for me. See you around or whatever.”

“Jungie, do you know if Taeyeon still has one of those tequila bottles you talked about before? All this soju is making me a bit thirsty,” Sunmi wondered as they watched Yves walk across the parking lot and then drive away.

Jungeun tilted her head with a confused frown. “What kind of logic is that? Drink some water if you’re so thirsty.” Something clicked in her mind as she studied Sunmi’s vexed features. “Ah, I get it now. She got under your skin, didn’t she?”

“You know I get protective when somebody attacks my pups,” Sunmi replied with a huff.

“There’s no need. She has a point, don’t you think? She was just a bit too straight-forward, perhaps,” Jungeun argued as they walked back inside.

Possibly the most unexpected occurrence of the entire evening was when Vivi also apologized for her behavior of the past week. She pulled her aside as everybody bid their goodbyes and took the chance to hastily murmur how sorry she was and that she hoped they could start over. Jungeun assured her that it was already water under the bridge, as long as she promised to never do it again. It was rather unexpected because Vivi had always seemed less keen than Jinsoul on going against Yves’s commands, determined to support her as the faithful vice-captain that she was, whereas Jinsoul maintained a more carefree aura.

The whole ride back home Jungeun had the nagging feeling that she might’ve read Vivi wrong. She hadn’t missed the nervous bite of the lip or the sheepish fidgeting of her right hand as she asked for forgiveness. 

Back at the Kim residence, it was Taeyeon who brought up the topic of alcohol, pulling out a familiar bottle of tequila from a pantry cabinet. That’s how Jungeun found herself chasing after the other two tipsy girls, making sure they didn’t trip over the living room furniture, as they played ‘the floor is lava’ while singing along to Tik Tok by Kesha and other 2000’s classics blasting from the speakers. Save to say, it was a long night for Jungeun. 


	3. Old School

The cafeteria on Monday was even more packed than the previous week. The sky was overcast that day so most students had opted to eat inside.

“How was your weekend, Jungeun? I bumped into a friend of yours on Friday, I hope she was able to find you,” Chuu said as they approached an empty table and set down their trays.

“Yeah, she did. She actually kind of interrupted our practice and Yves got furious. Besides that, I had a bit of a crazy weekend. My friend stayed over and she got wasted with my aunt. Oh, and I bumped into some of the cheerleaders at a barbecue restaurant and we all ended up having dinner together,” Jungeun blurted out distractedly, placing carrot sticks in her mouth while her eyes appeared to be lost in the distance, looking at nothing in particular. Her mind was busy with the announcement that Yves had posted on the cheerleading squad’s group chat that morning.

“She’s one of them,” Heejin whispered to Chuu.

“Jinsoul and Vivi actually apologized for being so mean, so I guess that’s something,” Jungeun reasoned with a shrug. “I’m supposed to attend a slumber party at Yves’s house on Friday, though. It’s an official activity aimed at bonding with the new members so I _can’t_ bail,” she added before letting out a long sigh, sinking her scrunched-up face deeper into her palm.

“Ooh, sounds fun. Take your swimming suit. The weather is still nice and Yves has a really big swimming pool,” Chuu beamed, completely missing Jungeun’s dejected disposition.

Jungeun threw Heejin a questioning glance, but the girl must have misread her silent query. “Chuu and Yves used to be best friends until the first year of high school when Yves decided that she was ‘too cool’ to hang out with her or something stupid like that,” she explained, rolling her eyes.

“You don’t know that, Heejin. She never said that,” Chuu scolded her with a pout.

“Exactly,” Heejin hissed, losing her temper. “She never said anything, _at all_. She just stopped hanging out with you and replying to your texts. What kind of friend does that?”

“I’m sure she had her reasons,” Chuu defended the cheerleading captain, lowering her gaze to her lap while her fingers busied themselves with a loose thread at the hem of her skirt.

“You’re hopeless,” Heejin gave in with a sigh. “Jungeun, what electives did you end up taking? Are we still World History buddies?” she asked, completely changing the topic.

Jungeun wanted to say something more about their previous discussion but decided to let it go, it wasn’t her place. “No, I actually switched it for Biology II. My dad insisted that I add more science electives to my schedule. He found out I was taking a bunch of easy subjects so he’ll let me keep Film History only if I take Biology,” she answered.

“Then I guess I’ll see you after that. I’m taking Chinese too,” Heejin said with a grin, holding up her right hand to her cheek making a V sign.

Jungeun frowned, tilting her head in confusion. “Huh? I thought you were taking Spanish.”

Heejin’s grin morphed into a sheepish smile. “Well, I thought it wouldn’t be so difficult since I lived in Brazil with my family for like a year, and Spanish and Portuguese are not that different. But it was just _so_ hard,” Heejin whined, messing up her hair as she scratched her head in desperation. “So, I’m taking Chinese instead.”

Jungeun’s face lit up with relief “Nice! I only have to worry about Biology, then. Hopefully, it won’t so difficult.”

“Don’t worry, Jungeun. I’m texting one of my friends as we speak,” Chuu remarked with a determined expression, typing away on her phone before Jungeun had a chance to reject the offer. “My friend Doyoung is taking is taking Biology too, he’ll help you out,” Chuu finally explained with a firm smile as she put down her phone.

— — —

The biology lab was only half full by the time Jungeun got there and most of the students inside seemed to be seating in pairs. Jungeun walked in hesitantly, scanning the room for any available tables. She spotted an empty space at the very back, next to the windows, and quickly sat down, pulling out her phone to pass the time while she waited for her next class to start.

“You must be Jungeun,” a shy-looking boy said in a soft voice, interrupting the dance practice video that Jungeun had been watching on Youtube.

Jungeun hit pause and looked up with questioning eyes. “That’s me. And you are…”

His already big almond-shaped eyes widened in surprise. “Oh, right. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Doyoung from the student council. Chuu told me that you might need some help this semester. You’re new, right?”

“Yeah, I just moved here last month,” Jungeun replied with a warm smile. It seemed like the boy was really trying his best to control his nerves in order to maintain a casual conversation, and Jungeun really appreciated the kind gesture.

Doyoung cleared his throat, trying to muster up some courage. “Do you want to partner up with me this semester? Mr. Caine has his students work in pairs every year,” he asked timidly.

“That’d we nice. But you don’t have to if you were already planning to partner with someone else,” she said, leaving him a way out in case he already had somebody else before Chuu texted him.

A boy emerged next to Doyoung, nonchalantly wrapping an arm around him. “Don’t worry, you’d be doing him a favor. Haechan and I both suck at biology, so we’re in this together—you know, ‘bros that flunk together stay together’. I’m sure Doyoung would rather work with somebody a bit more competent than us.”

“Unless Lucas happened to walk into Biology II this semester. In which case, he’ll probably dump faster than you can say 'secret crush,” a third boy sneakily whispered, getting closer to Jungeun to avoid gathering any unwanted spectator.

“Guys, shut up,” Doyoung hissed, nervously scanning the room, though nobody was really paying attention to them.

“Oh, right. It’s a secret,” the boy with his arm around Doyoung whispered with an exaggerated wink. “I’m Mark, by the way. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Jungeun,” she replied, slightly overwhelmed by the boisterous boys that appeared to have materialized out of thin air. In a way, they reminded her of Chuu. She could perfectly envision the three of them causing havoc around the school.

The third boy pointed between Mark and himself. “I’m Haechan. You’re a senior like Doyoung, right? We’re juniors.”

“I’m in class B,” Doyoung pretty much whispered taking a seat next to Jungeun.

“You know, you’re sort of popular already. My girlfriend is in the cheerleading team—her name’s Chaeryeong—and she said that all the freshmen and sophomore are rooting for you.” Haechan relayed as he moved to an empty seat in front of Jungeun and Doyoung.

“Rooting for me?” Jungeun asked with a mix of disbelief and confusion.

Haechan nodded eagerly. “They said you made a really big impression. Everybody’s afraid of Yves and her group, so they were really surprised when you challenged them–”

“When I what? When did I challenge them?” Jungeun interrupted the boy.

“You auditioned for the team as a senior _and_ you got in. They are talking about a shift in the balance of power. Everyone was sure Olivia would be the captain next year since she’s Yves’s younger sister but maybe that’s about to change,” he explained, rubbing his chin contemplatively.

“You talk about it as if it were politics or something,” Jungeun noted.

Mark snorted. “He just really likes to gossip.”

A tall chubby man in his forties standing at the front of the classroom deliberately cleared his throat. “Good afternoon, everyone,” he greeted in a deep voice. “For those who are joining the class for the first time, I’m Mr. Caine and I’ll be your Biology II teacher this semester. I see that most of you have already grouped in pairs. This semester, however, our school is focusing on student integration, hoping to improve the overall student experience and learning. So, we’ll be allotting you into pairs at random.”

The announcement was received with a collective groan by the students.

“What?” Mark croaked, wrapping an arm around Haechan who was sitting beside him. “Bro, don’t leave me.”

“I guess we’ll get split up,” Doyoung lamented quietly, looking apologetic. “You can still contact me if you need any help,” he assured Jungeun with a comforting smile.

Mr. Caine called for everyone’s attention. “Go to our school’s interface, I’ve already uploaded the list with your assigned lab partners there–”

“Bro, it’s fate,” Mark rejoiced before Mr. Caine could finish his sentence, holding his phone with a wide smile.

Haechan moved closer to read the screen. “It _is_ fate. Did you see who’s Doyoung’s lab partner?” he replied with a perturbing smirk.

“But Lucas is not in our class—oh, I see what you mean,” Mark agreed with an equally perturbing smirk. Jungeun pulled out her phone and scrolled down the site, spotting Doyoung’s name next to Vivi’s. She turned to look at Doyoung with a concerned grimace. The boy had his eyes glued to the phone, his face paler than the pristine white sweater he was wearing.

“Alright, make it quick. Please, find your partners and sit down right away so we can proceed with the rest of our class,” Mr. Caine rushed the class, going back to his desk.

Doyoung’s little problem had momentarily taken Jungeun’s mind off the task at hand and before she had any time to check the list again, her partner came walking to her instead. She shuffled impatiently by the aisle, waiting for Doyoung to move. “I guess we’re together,” Yves denoted, flashing Jungeun a tight-lipped smile.

Doyoung stood up quietly, throwing a desperate look in Jungeun’s direction.

“Good luck,” Jungeun mouthed with an apologetic expression, as she watched him take slow tentative steps in Vivi’s direction. Mark and Haechan were practically bent over with laughter, a tear rolling down Haechan’s cheek.

“I’m hoping to get an A+ in this class, so I’d like to know right away if I need to do all the work here. I don’t mind as long as you don’t get in the way,” Yves disclosed in a dry tone.

“You’re more intense than my classmates back in Korea,” Jungeun joked but Yves merely frowned at the comment. “Don’t worry, I’ll do my part,” Jungeun assured her, flashing a confident smile.

Yves looked back and forth between Jungeun’s face and the fist she was stretching in her direction. “What?”

Jungeun sighed and took the captain’s hand with her free hand, folding it into a fist, and guided it to meet hers, still waiting in midair. “You’re supposed to bump it, or are you that socially inept?” Jungeun teased.

“I’m _not_ socially inept,” Yves protested, bumping her fist against Jungeun’s begrudgingly.

Jungeun snorted. “You do know that most of the school is thoroughly intimidated by you, don’t you?” she asked in a light tone. For some reason, she was feeling a lot less intimidated by Yves today.

Yves rolled her eyes. “I have a goal. I don’t have time to care about what other people think of me.”

Jungeun leaned forward and rested an elbow on the table, propping up her chin on her palm as she eyed Yves with suspicion. “If you say so,” she drawled.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Yves scoffed.

Jungeun shrugged, pointing at Mr. Caine who was trying to get everyone’s attention back to the whiteboard. She then took her index finger to her lips with a serious frown. “Please, be quiet. My partner wants to get an A+ so I’m trying to pay attention,” she whispered before letting out a mischievous chuckle.

— — —

Jungeun was able to leave early on Thursday to go to the nearest DMV and get her driver’s license. It only took a quick call from Taeyon to her school’s office and problem solved. Taeyeon always found a way to get what she wanted.

“Hey, cutie. Hop in,” Jungeun called out in the most cringey tone she could muster as she drove past Heejin at the school’s front gate on Friday morning.  
  


“Kim Jungeun? You’ve got _game_. I’m impressed,” Heejin exclaimed with her mouth agape. “Chuu would probably smack me for being ‘too greasy’ if I said anything like that, but I guess it works with a face like yours and a car like this,” she reasoned, pointing at the black Mercedes Benz that Jungeun was driving.

Jungeun shrugged. “I have to go to Yves’s house later for that boring pajama party and I can’t borrow my aunt’s car because she needs it for work later, so I took my dad’s spare one. He won’t even notice.”

“Well, we still got like thirty minutes until classes start so… do you think we got enough time to go to McDonald’s real quick for some ice cream?” Heejin ventured with the sweetest and most innocent smile she had ever.

“Only if you’re paying,” Jungeun countered.

“Of course,” Heejin yielded as she opened the door and got in the car.

“And please don’t ever smile like that again. It’s kind of unsettling when someone as cynic as you displays such sweetness,” Jungeun said with a shudder before driving out of the parking lot.

The closest McDonald's was only five minutes away. It was a rather small town, after all. There were only three other cars parked out front. Jungeun wanted to go through the drive-in but Heejin insisted they check the menu first, since she hadn’t fully made up her mind yet. 

A girl waved at her from afar as they walked to the front door. Jinsoul was walking out of the fast-food restaurant, followed by Yves and Olivia. “Lippie, what’s up?” she exclaimed with a friendly smile.

“Damn, you really are one of them now,” Heejin muttered under her breath as they crossed the parking lot.

“They’re really not that bad once you get to know them,” Jungeun hastily whispered back.

“That’s what Tiger King says about tigers, but guess what? They’re still deadly giant cats,” Heejin murmured in protest before they came face to face with the cheerleaders.

Jungeun stopped in front of the group and flashed them a courteous simple. She was sure that if she looked to her right, she’d see a childish frown plastered on her friend’s face so she had to seem cordial enough for the two of them. “Hey, nothing much. I bumped into Heejin in front of the school and she said she’d buy me some ice cream.”

“Coffee’s our poison,” Jinsoul replied, showing the plastic cup in her hand. “Or more accurately hers. Olivia can’t function without her morning dose of caffeine so the three of us come every day before school,” she added, pointing at a dead-looking girl next to her.

“Hey,” the girl croaked with weary eyes. She could’ve been sleep-walking for all Jungeun knew.

“We’re gonna be late. Let’s go,” Yves urged, carefully pulling Olivia along with her and walking past Jungeun and Heejin.

“Sorry, gotta go,” Jinsoul blurted apologetically before walking after the other two girls.

“There’s still like twenty minutes left, though,” Heejin pointed out as they walked to the counter to order.

Heejin had informed Chuu of their whereabouts so the girl was waiting for them at the front gate by the time they made it back.

“You guys went on a McDonald’s date and you didn’t invite me?” she whined, following the other two inside.

Heejin shrugged, taking a lick of her vanilla sundae—yes, it had taken ten whole minutes to make up her mind, only to end up ordering the most basic ice cream of them all. “Jungeun kind of flirted with me at the front gate so I hopped in her car like the cheap hoe that I am,” she explained.

“We brought you cookies though,” Jungeun announced in hopes of wiping the betrayed expression off Chuu’s face.

“Yeah!” Chuu singsonged, jumping forward to receive the paper bag, and continued down the hall, skipping happily all the way to their classroom.

— — —

“Never have I ever…been to Korea,” Vivi declared, looking around expectantly. The freshmen and sophomores were already fast asleep in an adjacent room of the guest house—tired after a long afternoon of team building activities. After a delicious barbecue in Yves’s backyard, the squad had moved into the guest house to call it a night. The juniors and seniors, however, had moved to the living room to continue playing some more ‘mature’ games, like Never Have I Ever. (‘You don’t have to drink if you don’t want to’, Yves had assured everybody. ‘Oh, and please don’t get too wasted, I don’t want anyone puking on the carpet,’ she added, deliberately looking at Jinsoul dead in the eye.)

“That’s so lame, Vivi,” Jinsoul complained, taking a swig of her plastic cup. “You’re up, Lippie.”

“I kind of feel like I’m at a disadvantage, since you all know each other already,” Jungeun whined. Jungeun had to admit that most of the girls were actually really nice. She had gotten quite close to Jinsoul, Vivi, and a junior called Rosé this past couple of hours.

“That’s actually better. I’ll show you what I mean when it’s my turn,” Jinsoul replied with a reassuring smile.  
  


Olivia, Yves’s younger sister, stood up abruptly. “I’m going to sleep, you’re all kind of lame.”

  
“Is she alright?” Rosé murmured worriedly once Olivia was out of the room.

Lisa, another junior, shrugged. “It’s probably about the captain position.”

“Your mom’s still set on having her follow your steps?” Rosé asked, looking at Yves who was sitting cross-legged beside her.

“Yeah, they’ve been fighting a lot,” she confessed with a dejected sigh. “I’m sorry though, but I’m not about to talk about my family issues with all of you,” she curtly added after realizing what she had just revealed.

“You should start thinking about who would really be the most suited to become your successor—not as Olivia’s sister, but as our captain. You know I’m a better fit, Yves.” Lisa snapped, pushing the topic.

Yves threw Lisa an incredulous look, eyebrows raised. “You know I would _never_ nominate someone just because I’m related to them. I’m always thinking about what’s best for the team. Thank you for your input, Lisa, but I don’t think I asked for it,” she concluded with a forced smile.

_Well, here goes nothing_ , Jungeun thought, taking a deep breath. “Never have I ever had sex,” Jungeun blurted out loud, trying to diffuse the tension in the room.

After a nerve-rackingly long pause, Jinsoul burst out laughing. “Now, that’s what I’m talking about. Vivi, you should take notes” she said, patting Jungeun on the back as she took another big gulp of her beer cup. Vivi and Lisa joined her drinking big gulps of their respective cups.

“I’m out of beer. Vivi, pass me a new can,” Lisa asked pointing at the mini-fridge behind her.

“Finally my turn,” Jinsoul announced with an evil grin, rubbing her hands together.

“Oh no, her eyes are glossy, she’s already tipsy. Last time she got tipsy, she started targeting Yves and they had a big dumb argument,” Vivi groaned as she came back from the kitchen.

Jinsoul cleared her throat for a more dramatic effect. “Never have I ever…kissed my best friend,” she declared, looking at Vivi straight in the eyes.

Vivi placed her hand on her lips with a defiant smirk. “OK, first of all, Kai dared us to kiss at his house party, so I don’t think that counts. And second, Yves is my best friend, not you,” she argued, sticking her tongue out.

“You bitch! _Last Christmas I gave you my heart. But the very next day you gave it away,_ ” Jinsoul cried out to the chorus of the famous Christmas carol, a hand draped over her forehead dramatically.

Nobody but Jungeun seemed to notice that Yves had just taken a quick sip of her cup. Was she just thirty or…Yves caught Jungeun staring at her and froze like a deer in headlights, immediately averting her eyes to the ground.

“My turn,” Rosé crooned, interrupting the odd moment. “Never have I ever had sex in the woods,” she stated loudly.

“The juniors are wild, Lippie. I’m scared,” Jinsoul whimpered, latching onto Jungeun’s arm.

“That’s how you wanna play?” Lisa snarled. She had been the only one to drink. “Well, never have I ever I had a crush on _Bang Chan_ ,” she continued, stressing the last two words.

Vivi leaned forward, holding her arms between the two agitated girls. “Woah, let’s calm down a bit. We said no targeting so drink up, Lisa.” The girl scoffed but drunk obediently, anyway.

Next was Yves’s turn and everyone fell silent, waiting for her next words expectantly. “This game already got boring,” Yves murmured, buying herself some time. “Whatever. Never have I ever had a crush on someone considerably older—like four or more years older.”

“Oddly specific, but OK. Do celebrities count? You know I have a fat crush on Li Yifeng,” Vivi replied, swaying the beer inside her cup.

“No celebrities,” Yves clarified.

“Not me, then,” Vivi said, putting down her cup.

Lisa clapped, mockingly. “Nobody drank, Yves. I guess that means you have to drink.”

Jinsoul groaned audibly. “Let’s change games. I’m _bored,_ ” she slurred.

In the end, they all agreed to watch a movie instead. Jinsoul was a bit too tipsy to continue playing drinking games, so they turned on the TV and let Jinsoul what to watch. She scrolled down the Netflix app until she found Mean Girls and hit play, nuzzling against Vivi’s shoulder on the couch.

— — —

The next day, Jungeun woke up early as per usual. She had been absentmindedly staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, wondering how to kill time until the rest of the girls woke up, when a nearby noise interrupted her groggy thoughts. She stood up quietly, following the noise to a corner of the living room where she found Yves, tossing and turning inside her sleeping bag. There was a deep frown on her face and she appeared to be punching something invisible in front of her but sleeping as she was, she didn’t seem to notice that she was just punching the wall, bruising her knuckles in the process.

Jungeun crouched in front of her, gently shaking her by the arm, but the girl just kept wrestling in her sleep. Jungeun sat back, pondering what to do—all the other girls were still fast asleep. Eventually she tried poking Yves's cheek just kicks, not thinking that it would actually work. The reaction to the soft touch, however, was instant, which in turn caught Jungeun by surprise.

“Y-you were, you seemed like you were having a nightmare,” Jungeun attempted to explain as she sprang back with a hand tightly clutched to her chest.

Yves surveyed Jungeun’s face with an annoyed frown, holding the eye contact until Jungeun felt ice creep up at her nape—the girl’s stare felt like icicles on her skin. Then, without warning, she just turned around, tucking herself deep under her sleeping bag, successfully breaking off their awkward interaction and leaving a perplexed Jungeun alone with her cluttered thoughts.

The girl cleared her throat quietly and made her way to the front door of the guest house. She squinted her eyes, instinctively throwing a hand to cover them as the morning rays hit her face. Jungeun then walked around the guest house and attempted to open the back gate of the property but to her utter disappointment, it was locked. She could forget about her morning jog.

Chuu had been right, Yves did actually have a pool and Jungeun had been sitting on one of the pool chairs for well over ten minutes, distractedly watching how the gentle morning breeze rippled the surface of the pool, by the time the guest house door opened again.

“I wanted to go for a morning jog but the back gate was locked,” Jungeun said with a sigh, knowing perfectly well who had come to join her outside.

“I figured,” Yves replied, dangling a keychain around her slender index finger smugly.

Jungeun glanced at the shiny object with a pleased smile, instantly jumping to her feet. She was already halfway around the guest house when Yves spoke again. “You don’t have a hoodie or something?” she asked, taking note of how Jungeun kept rubbing her arms.

“It was warm yesterday when I drove here,” the girl explained in vain.

“Well, it’s _cold_ today,” Yves countered in a reproaching tone.

Jungeun shrugged. “I’ll warm up once I start running.”

The cheerleading captain sighed audibly and walked back inside the guest house. She was carrying a baby blue sweatshirt by the time she came out again. “Here,” she offered, “It’s always way colder by the beach than here. You’ll need it.”

“Thanks,” Jungeun replied as she put on the warm garment. It smelled like orange with some other floral notes; it smelled really nice.

Jungeun stopped herself from making any comments when she noticed that Yves was running along with her. Up until the very last moment, she had thought that the cheerleader would just open the gate for her and go back inside.

They jogged in silence for a while but, surprisingly, it was Yves who spoke up first. “Is this the best you can do? You’re kind of slow,” she taunted.

“Not everything’s a competition, Yves,” Jungeun calmly argued without taking the bait. “How about just enjoying the view?”

Yves snorted. “I don’t run just so I can _enjoy the view_.”

“By ‘view’, are you perhaps talking about me?” Jungeun joked, trying to lighten up the mood.

Yves merely rolled her eyes in response.

“Well, I run because I like it. I find it relaxing. Why do you run?” Jungeun asked more seriously.

“I…” Yves pondered, unsure. “It keeps me in shape. I need to be in shape so I can perform well physically and mentally,” she finally answered.

“What do you do for fun, then? Is there something you do just for the heck of it—just because you like it and not as a means to an end?” Jungeun probed further.

“I don’t have time to have fun,” Yves retorted. “OK, fine. Sometimes, the girls and I go out to shop or eat something, I guess.”

Jungeun didn’t reply, quietly mulling over the captain’s answer. She had long ago realized that Yves had let her take the lead while they jogged but chose to just go with it, instead of mentioning it.

“It’s more convenient if we just go back the same way we came here, the promenade is wider than the sidewalk over there,” Yves remarked when Jungeun made a right turn where the asphalt ended.

“Just follow me,” Jungeun replied enigmatically.

“Oh, so you just wanted to get a snack,” Yves scoffed, pointing at the 7-Eleven store in front of them.

Jungeun didn’t mind her and continued walking past the convenience store, stopping in front of a tattered shop right next door.

“If you’re just gonna play Pac-man or whatever, then I’m off,” Yves threatened after reading the tilted neon sign by the door and taking a quick peek inside.

Jungeun sighed. “Just follow me,” she repeated, leading them all the way to the back of the arcade. Then, she leaned back, awaiting Yves’s reaction.

“I haven’t seen one of these in ages,” Yves gushed, admiring the Dance Dance Revolution machine in front of her.

“I figured, since you like dancing—and competing—you’ll probably really like this,” Jungeun explained, flashing Yves a proud smile. “You can go first,” she added, inserting some spare change.

Yves stepped onto the machine with a determined look. Jungeun selected ‘normal mode’ for her and then pressed ‘start.' Yves raised an eyebrow at the level of difficulty but didn’t say anything.

Despite her best efforts, Yves barely managed to finish the song. It wasn’t by any means an impressive performance and the disappointment was evident in the captain's features.

Jungeun inserted another coin, increasing the level to ‘hard’ as she cracked her neck. “Now watch and learn from the pros,” she teased, hopping onto the upbeat song like she already knew the feet combinations by heart. The song was almost over and she hadn’t missed a single note. She was already savoring her victory when a sudden force made here stumble sideways, missing metals pads.

Yves flashed her an innocent look. “You looked like you needed some help,” she teased before she burst out laughing.

“I can’t believe it, you’re such a sore loser. It’s fine though, my mission here is done,” Jungeun stated with a fond look.

Yves looked back at her, completely disoriented. “Uh? What do you mean?”

“You’re laughing, out loud. A genuine laugh from the one and only Yves Ha. That’s a first since I met you,” Jungeun clarified, a smug smirk masking the sincerity of her words.

Yves fell silent for a brief instant, completely taken aback. She studied Jungeun with unsure eyes, an ocean of unspoken words was begging to be spilled all around them. But then, she averted them to the dusty floor, breaking off the spell. “Oh, shut up and teach me how get better. Just give me a week and I’ll beat you. Wanna bet?” she eventually said with detached confidence. It was like her real feelings hadn’t yet caught up with whatever image she was trying to portray.

Jungeun decided to let it go for now. She wasn’t feeling brave enough to probe any further. “Oh my god, you’re so competitive,” she muttered, shaking her head in disbelief.

Yves’s phone buzzed inside her pocket, bringing them both back to safer waters. “It’s Vivi, they probably just woke up,” the captain guessed in a more level tone. “We should head back.”

“Right, let’s go,” Jungeun agreed, taking a deep breath as she followed Yves back outside.

“Come on, I’ll race you back,” the captain urged her.

Jungeun groaned. “No, please no,” she implored.

“If I win, you have to teach me all your DDR secret tricks,” Yves said, ignoring Jungeun’s words altogether.

“You can just ask nicely.”

Yves raised her eyebrows, scandalized. “What’s the fun in that?”

Yves obviously won, but Jungeun couldn’t find it in her to feel any bit of disappointment. All she cared about was that she was finally beginning to see behind the veil.


	4. Cotton Candy

“Are you coming or what?” Heejin asked, pacing impatiently by the classroom door.

“Yeah, right away. I just need to get something first,” Jungeun replied as she ran to the back of their classroom to retrieve a plastic bag from her locker.

Chuu sneaked a peek inside the bag with mild curiosity once Jungeun had joined the other two girls. “What is it? Is it a present for me?” she asked with a cute pout.

Jungeun chuckled, almost feeling sorry for not having a present for Chuu— _almost_. “I just need to return something to Yves,” she casually explained. Jungeun had wanted to return the sweatshirt to Yves in the morning since class B’s classroom was right in front of hers, but she barely made it in time to first period because she had forgotten her phone at home.

The three girls lined up at the cafeteria, filling their trays with as much food as they could, and walked to the first empty table they could find. Jungeun looked around and spotted Yves, Jinsoul, and Vivi, along with some other people, sitting a few tables away. She hesitated briefly, unsure of how to proceed. They were all on good terms now, but they had never really interacted at the cafeteria. Jungeun didn’t know much about high school social norms in America but it somehow felt a bit different from when they normally talked at cheerleading practice.

Eventually, she stood up, laughing at her dumb concerns. She had never been one to care about those things in the first place. “I’ll be right back,” she told Chuu and Heejin before walking away.

“Lippie!” Jinsoul greeted her with a wide smile, making the rest of the table aware of the girl’s presence. “Wanna sit with us?”

“No, thanks. I’m sitting over there,” Jungeun said, pointing to her friends. “Yves, here. Thanks, by the way,” she added, handing the sweatshirt back to the girl.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Yves replied. “Hey, I haven’t forgotten about our bet. I’ll let you know when we can formally begin our DDR lessons.”

Jinsoul didn’t seem interested in their current topic of conversation, though. “Lippie, Lippie, did you hear already? The uniforms are finally here.”

Vivi sighed audibly. “It won’t be a surprise anymore if you keep telling everybody.”

“Yeah, Coach Kim said there were some problems with the uniform company but they finally arrived last Saturday,” Yves disclosed, ignoring the other two girls. “It’s supposed to be a surprise for the freshmen so please don’t tell anybody,” she added in a whisper, throwing Jinsoul a pointed look.

“Your secret is safe with me,” Jungeun swore, miming zipping up her lips with her hand. “See you later.”

“Jungeun, you’re such a cheerleader,” Heejin noted with horror as the girl came back to their table.

Jungeun poked Heejin on the cheek. “Heejin, you’re not as hip and cool as you think you are.”

Heejin gave Jungeun a death glare but pouted helplessly in Chuu’s direction. “Chuu, help me. Jungeun is being mean to me.”

“You started it, so that’s what you get,” she said reproachfully, poking Heejin’s other cheek. “See? I told you they’re not bad kids,” she then told Jungeun.

“Why did you stop being friends then?” Jungeun asked with genuine interest, the words slipping out of her mouth before she had the time to stop herself. She had decided to leave the issue alone since she suspected that there was an unpleasant story behind it, so she was about to apologize and change the topic when Chuu replied.

“Friendships don’t end when two people stop talking to each other. I’ll always be her friend,” Chuu mumbled with a bittersweet expression.

“She’s hopeless,” Heejin sighed, glancing at Chuu with masked concern. “I’m full. Chuu, do you want my pudding?”

Chuu gladly accepted Heejin’s pudding and it even seemed to lift her spirits.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked…” Jungeun trailed off, hesitantly.

“It’s fine. Things pretty much happened as Heejin said. Yves made some new friends and got really into cheerleading, so I guess our interests diverged. It’s normal for that to happen in high school. I don’t hold any hard feeling towards her,” Chuu maintained with a reassuring smile.

Heejin pursed her lips, side-eyeing her friend. “OK but she still totally ghosted you, though.”

“As I said before, she probably had her reasons. If I’m being honest, I have some theories about why she suddenly stopped hanging out with me, but that’s all mere speculation,” Chuu remarked with an uncharacteristically final tone.

“Jungeun, give me your pudding,” Heejin mouthed.

Jungeun rolled her eyes. “No,” she mouthed back. “Well, I actually have some exciting news to relay and by exciting I mean that Heejin is gonna have a blast making fun of me,” Jungeun announced out loud in order to move on to lighter matters.

Chuu squealed, clapping her hands. “What is it? What is it?” she beamed, leaving behind all traces of sorrow.

“Apparently, I’m getting my cheerleading uniform this afternoon,” Jungeun informed them with a grim expression.

— — —

Just as Jinsoul had said, the uniforms were waiting for them at the gym after class. They were neatly organized in four piles next to the bleachers. Coach Kim had just begun distributing by the time Jungeun arrived.

“Please, try it on right away, in case we need to exchange it,” Coach Kim instructed her.

Jungeun whined in displeasure. “Do I really have to?”

“Only the seniors have arrived so far so maybe if you make it quick, no one will see you,” Coach Kim advised Jungeun after sensing her displeasure.

“Thanks,” Jungeun muttered, dashing away.

“You’ll still have to wear it in two weeks for the school’s Homecoming festival,” Coach Kim reminded Jungeun as the girl dashed to the locker room.

Downstairs in the locker room, Yves, Jinsoul, and Vivi were finished changing into their brand-new uniforms. The three girls were in the bathroom next door taking pictures in front of the mirror so they didn’t notice Jungeun coming in. The girl stealthily undressed and put on her uniform, hoping that nobody would come into the locker room any time soon. It wasn’t that she felt self-conscious of her body or being naked in front of others, there was no room for any of that when you frequented Korean jimjilbangs. She just disliked the uniform itself, it made her feel slightly out of her element. For a moment, she seriously reconsidered her club choice. If she was feeling this embarrassed wearing it alone within the privacy of the locker room, she couldn’t even begin to imagine how it would feel to wear it in front of the whole school.

Right then, the three seniors from class B came back from the bathroom.

“It’s disgusting,” Jungeun noted with a grimace.

“Aw, what do you mean? You look cute in it,” Jinsoul replied, cupping her cheeks as if to appease a grumpy toddler.

“Yeah, it accentuates your curves,” Vivi agreed in a sultry voice.

Jungeun couldn’t stop whining. “Sunmi and my crew at Pantone would kill me if they saw me wearing this.”

“Then, by all means, let me send her a picture. We follow each other on Instagram,” Jinsoul said with a chuckle as she pulled out her phone her iPhone to snap a picture of the embarrassed girl.

Yves, who had been quietly enjoying the girls’ banter up until now, extended an arm to block Jinsoul’s phone camera. “Make sure to check for any loose threats or printing errors. If you don’t tell Coach Kim now, you’ll have to buy a new one with your own money,” she said, giving the girl a way out as she pointed to the door.

Jinsoul huffed. “Party pooper,” she muttered.

“Thanks,” Jungeun whispered before scrambling away to the bathroom, which was the only place with a mirror in the locker room.

“You look good, though. Don’t give it too much thought,” Yves said comfortingly just before Jungeun disappeared.

— — —

Practice went by smoothly, Jungeun was slowly getting used to the routine and the rest of the team seemed so too. Their synchronization had improved rapidly and they’d be ready to perform for a crowd in no time. After practice, though, a tall and athletic guy made his way to the gym, walking straight up to Yves. Jungeun had seen him several times around the school chasing after a soccer ball.

“Who’s that?” she asked Jinsoul as they took a short rest at the bleachers before heading home.

Jinsoul followed Jungeun’s line of sight. “His name is Kai, he’s in my class.”

“Are they dating?” Jungeun asked, noticing the fair amount of teasing and staring from the rest of the squad in response to the attractive pair. It was like the entire team had stopped whatever they were doing in order to observe Yves and Kai’s every move.

“Yves and Kai? Nah, people kind of ship them together because he’s the captain of the soccer team and Yves is the captain of the cheerleading squad. I bet most students here just want to fulfill their high school romance fantasies through them,” Jinsoul reasoned with a scoff. “He's probably here to talk about the Homecoming festival.”

Vivi hummed in disapproval, coming back from the locker room in her casual clothes. “I’m not sure it’s just them. Have you seen the way Kai looks at Yves?”

“Doesn’t mean it goes both ways,” Jinsoul noted, shrugging. “We both know she’s always been too busy for boyfriends.”

“She’s never had a boyfriend?” Jungeun asked trying to sound casual. Not that it was a crime or anything, just that it was a bit surprising that a girl as pretty as Yves had never dated anyone before.

“We’d be here _all night_ if I named all the boys that have confessed to her,” Jinsoul divulged. “But she’s always been more focused on school and her future. She has a plan and she wouldn’t let anybody get in the way of it. I always figured she’d become more interested in dating when she went off to college—maybe date some hunky yet sensitive and smart European exchange student, that sounds like her type.”

“That sounds oddly specific…” Jungeun commented with a funny expression.

Vivi snorted. “Jinsoul, Olivia, and I placed bets. Well, not really. Olivia said Jinsoul and I were both just incredibly stupid and bet against both of us. What does that even mean? Is she expecting Yves to remain single for the rest of her life. That kid’s always been a bit cryptic and strange,” she complained, scanning their surroundings in case anybody was eavesdropping. 

“Jungie!” Chuu called as she entered the gym in a rush, interrupting the cheerleaders’ conversation. “Is your practice over?”

“Yeah, what about band practice?” Jungeun asked, adjusting her bag on her shoulder.

“Done for today. How does ice cream sound? I can’t let Heejin steal you away from me,” Chuu said, grabbing Jungeun’s arm possessively.

“Sure. I don’t have any plans after this,” the cheerleader replied. “Bye bye, see you later,” she added, waving to Jinsoul and Vivi with her free hand.

“Bye, guys. Have fun!” Jinsoul exclaimed from the bleachers just before the two friends were out of the gym.

Jungeun tailed Chuu’s car to a nearby Baskin-Robins. Chuu chose a cotton candy and rainbow sherbet double cone, while Jungeun went for a peanut butter ‘n chocolate double. They sat down at a table near the back, leisurely chatting about classes, upcoming school activities, and life outside of school—Jungeun had no idea that cute and sweet Chuu had a black belt in Taekwondo. She was beginning to see her friend in a different light. Chuu was truly impressive.

Still, Jungeun couldn’t help but feel like her friend hadn’t invited her here just to talk about their daily lives. She could see the apprehension hiding behind Chuu’s half-hearted smiles. Something was definitely troubling the girl.

The cheerleader took her chances, betting on the only thing she had seen Chuu upset over. “I’m sorry if I might’ve overstepped my boundaries at lunchtime. I could tell from the last time Heejin brought it up that it wasn’t something you really wanted to discuss.”

“Oh, that? Nah, it’s fine. I only avoid talking about it because I know it gets Heejin railed up when I defend Yves,” Chuu replied reassuringly.

Jungeun looked down at her nearly finished ice cream cone. “I’m still sorry though.”

“Don’t be,” Chuu said, waving a dismissive hand in front of her. “You’re Yves's friend too now, so it’s not like you were nosing around or anything.”

“Friends?” Jungeun wondered out loud, letting out a chuckle. “I guess, that’s not entirely wrong. Although I’m sure she’d call us team members or lab partners instead.”

Chuu gave Jungeun an empathetic nod. “Yves, she puts up these really tall walls around her. So you’ll have to apply a bit more pressure for her to let you in.”

“Me? She already has Vivi and Jinsoul, though.”

“I’m sure one more friend won’t kill her. She seems tough but she’ll need someone by her side when the unforeseen comes knocking. I wish it could be me, but that would only make her feel worse,” Chuu answered with a bittersweet smile.

“I’m not sure I get what you mean,” Jungeun confessed, tilting her head confusedly.

“I’m just saying that you look like a dependable friend, Jungeun,” Chuu concluded before patting her friend’s shoulder and walking away to throw her used napkin in the trash.

Jungeun eyed Chuu’s retreating back with wonder. The girl was wiser and more observant than her youthful demeanor let on.

For a fleeting second, Jungeun got reminded of that time during primary school when Taeyeon dropped by her house out of nowhere and treated her to cake. That was the day her aunt had told her she was moving to the US for college. Jungeun’s impromptu date with Chuu was nothing alike yet for some reason, it had triggered a familiar sensation. Her gut feeling was telling her to read between the lines but no matter how many times Jungeun went over Chuu’s words, she just couldn’t seem to make the connection.

“Earth to Jungie,” Chuu crooned, waving a hand in front of Jungeun’s eyes.

“Uh? Sorry, I was thinking about my Biology homework,” Jungeun lied with a nervous smile before Chuu could ask any more questions. “I’m done with my ice cream too. Let’s get going.”

— — —

On Wednesday, Yves pestered Jungeun about their biology homework until she finally caved in. Their first problem set was due on Monday and Yves was busy on the weekend so she wanted to get it done as soon as possible. The school’s library closed at 7 pm so Yves, albeit reluctantly, agreed to work on it at Jungeun’s house.

“I’ve been wondering about this for a while. You said you lived in Korea your whole life, so how come your English is so good?” Yves asked as they compared their answers for question number one.

“I went to an international school so we had a lot of foreign students and several elective classes in English. Also, my mom enrolled me in an English academy,” Jungeun replied, absently taking a cookie from a plate in front of her. Yves had insisted on studying in a neat environment so they had settled for the spacious dining table. “Looking back, I think she was preparing me to come live here with my dad,” Jungeun added with a pained smile.

Yves cast Jungeun an apprehensive look. “My Korean is actually not that bad. I speak it with my parents at home,” she offered, trying to lighten up the mood.

“Yeah, I know,” Jungeun added. Her smile widened, this time reaching her eyes. “I talked to you in Korean by mistake when we met at the beach and you replied in Korean.”

“Huh, I forgot that was the first time we met,” Yves marveled with a smile of her own. “Time to get back to work, though,” she finished in a more serious tone.

— — —

It was nearly 8 PM and the sun had already gone down. As Yves was leaving Jungeun’s house after a rather uneventful study session, Jungeun noticed that the girl’s breathing had become irregular. The girl was gasping for air by the time she had made it to the driver’s side of her car. Jungeun rushed to her side and felt Yves tremble in her hands, unable to stand upright. Jungeun guided Yves to sit down, rubbing circles on her back as she counted out loud, encouraging the girl to breathe in regular patterns. “It will pass. Just remember to breathe. Take all the time you need,” she whispered.

Jungeun waited patiently next to her, guiding her through the panic attack that Yves had just experienced. Although Yves seemed to be alright now, she remained seated with her head hung low in her hands, eyes cast downward to the gray concrete.

“I’ve gotten a few of them too,” Jungeun confessed in a voice barely higher than a whisper. “Last semester was tough for me. Sometimes I wonder how I managed to pass junior year. I was a mess.”

“Do you still get them?” Yves inquired, finally lifting her head to look at Jungeun. There was a hint of hope and fear in her eyes.

“Now that you mention it, I don't,” Jungeun replied after a moment’s thought. “Last time was a week after I moved here. I usually wonder whether moving here was the right choice. Although I don’t have the answer to that yet, I don’t have panic attacks anymore so that has to count for something. Had you ever experienced on before?”  
  


“Do you like it here?” Yves retorted, completely ignoring Jungeun’s question.

Jungeun bit her lip. She was clearly conflicted, as she knew what Yves was trying to do. “Yves, I don’t want to push you but I think you have to talk—”

“Please, just take my mind off it. Just for tonight. I’ll tell you another time, I promise,” Yves begged.

After letting out a defeated sigh, Jungeun complied. “This town is OK, I guess. I miss my grandparents though, and my friends. I can’t wait for winter break to come. Still, I wish I were able to visit them during Chuseok too, my grandma makes the most delicious seongpyeon.”

“I can’t imagine how it must be. I’ve lived here my whole life. Everyone I know and love lives here. You’re pretty tough, Kim Jungeun,” Yves admitted, genuinely impressed. Jungeun thought it was ironic coming from Yves who had just pulled through a terrifying experience. If anyone here was tough, that was Yves for sure.

“Nah, it’s not like I had much of a choice. My dad said I had to move to the US so I did. What I wanted didn’t really matter. I guess that’s what happens when you’re still a kid,” Jungeun answered honestly, a twinge of bitterness in her tone. “Do you like it, living here?”

Yves rubbed her chin, giving the matter some thought. “I don’t know. I mean, this is all I’ve ever known and it’s not bad at all, but it can be a little suffocating. The pressure is really hard to handle sometimes. I can’t wait until I graduate so I can finally go out into the world.”

“So, you’re applying to colleges out of state?”

Yves stood up before answering, dusting off her oversized high-waisted jeans that accentuated her slim waist and toned abs—not that Jungeun was staring or anything. “I already got accepted into Yale through early admission. It’s my dad’s alma matter.”

Jungeun followed the girl as she walked down the sidewalk. “Woah, that’s so cool. I’m still indecisive. The application process is so different from Korean universities, so I’m still thinking about it.”

“Take your time. If nobody’s rushing you, then take all the time you need to figure things out,” Yves advised Jungeun who was currently wearing a faltering pout.

Said pouted lips widened, morphing into a gasp as Jungeun processed the captain’s words. “Is Ha Yves really telling me to take it slow? Were you abducted by aliens last night or something?”

The remake earned her a nudge from the captain. “Oh, shut up. In my case, my family had certain expectations that I had to meet. But you’ve got a choice, so make the most of it,” Yves replied decisively, turning left at the corner toward the beach.

Somehow their conversation had shifted from appeasing Yves to counseling Jungeun and Jungeun was still thinking about how that had possibly happened when she realized where Yves was taking them. A few feet away there was an old lady tending to her cotton candy stall. Jungeun had seen her a few times when she had taken a stroll down the promenade around this time of the day.

Jungeun wasn’t particularly in the mood for cotton candy, she didn’t even remember the last time she had bought some—it had probably been two years ago when she went to Yeouido with her school friends, Haseul and Yerim, to see the fireworks festival. But she couldn’t find it in herself to reject the paper cone when Yves offered it to her with the sincerest smile she had ever seen the captain give anybody.

Jungeun couldn’t help but do a double as they resumed walking, stealing glances at the girl who suddenly looked so much younger and carefree than she normally appeared with her enormous pink cotton candy cone.

“Do you feel lonely?” Yves asked aloud out of the blue.

Jungeun stopped walking, taken aback by the sudden change in topic. “In general, or…”

Yves rested her elbows on the promenade railing, looking at the night sea. “It’s just that you said you moved here and left behind most of your life back in Korea, so I was wondering if it had been difficult for you. I have to admit that I’m a bit scared about moving to Connecticut all by myself next year.”

Jungeun moved next to Yves, still gauging her words as she leaned back against the railing, her back to the beach. “I was anxious the first couple of weeks since I didn’t know what to expect. But then, the first day of school came around and I met Chuu at the front office. She showed me around the school and introduced me to Heejin. Those two didn’t even give me any time to worry about being all alone at school. I was lucky to meet them,” she replied honestly, her eyes scanning the vast sky above. It was virtually impossible to see any stars in Seoul, but here the stars seemed to overflow, splattered across the dark background like glitter.

“Yeah, Chuu is the kind of girl that makes you feel comfortable right away,” Yves acknowledged in a whisper.

“Right, I forgot you two used to be close,” Jungeun ventured absentmindedly, still lost in the scenery above.

There was a long silence. Guilt started crawling up Jungeun’s back once her mind caught up with her words. She knew better than to ever mention the topic to Chuu again but she didn’t expect Yves to be equally wary. Then again, Yves was guarded about anything that deviated from small talk.

Jungeun gulped, turning around to mimic Yves's position so she could see the girl’s face. “I’m sorry, it’s probably not something you wanna talk about.”

“No, it’s fine now. Yeah, we met when Jiwoo moved here, we used to be really close,” is all Yves said in return. It was enough but clearly not the full story. Still, Jungeun decided to let it go.

“Hey, that’s mine!” Yves complained while swatting away Jungeun’s hand which had managed to get inches away Yves’s cotton candy.

Jungeun pouted. “I ate all of mine, don’t be stingy.”

“Fine, just a little bit,” Yves relented with a sigh, the frown she was forcing upon her features doing an awful job at hiding her amusement. “I know I should’ve said this sooner but I’m sorry if the team or I gave you a hard time in the beginning. I should’ve told them to back off sooner. I guess maybe possibly I felt a tiny bit threatened,” Yves confessed in a more serious tone.

“You’re being awfully open and honest. I’m a bit scared. What’s the catch? Is this the part where you kidnap and murder me?” Jungeun replied, trying to infuse her features with as much suspicion as she could muster.

“You’re messed up, Kim Jungeun,” Yves chuckled as she shook her head in disbelief. “No murder tonight, I just thought it was something I had to say. I should’ve apologized sooner but I guess my pride got the best of me. Believe it or not, I’m someone who admits they’re wrong when they are.”

“Good to know. We didn’t get to finish the last two questions of our homework but I took a peek at your answers. You should probably try solving number nine again,” Jungeun retorted with a playful smirk.

“Asshole. I was being serious,” Yves muttered without taking much offense, or so it seemed by the chuckle that she was having trouble to contain.

“It’s alright, apology accepted,” Jungeun assured her with a nonchalant shrug. “It’s not like you purposely teased me like Jinsoul and Vivi. Maybe you were a bit too blunt that time at Jung’s House parking lot, but don’t apologize for speaking your mind.”

“So, friends?” Yves hesitantly suggested, stretching her hand to shake it with Jungeun’s, but the shorter girl seemed to have other plans.

“We were already friends since that fist bump in Biology,” Jungeun corrected Yves as she wrapped an arm around the taller girl’s shoulders. “I knew you were an alright person right when we met, even though you’re a bit of a tough nut to crack.”

“Are you saying I’m difficult?” Yves said with mock astonishment as she took a step back, raising a challenging eyebrow.

Jungeun snorted. “No, not just me, _everyone_ says that. You’re practically impossible to read and you keep everyone at an arm’s length.”  
  


“Why are you paying so much attention to me? Are you a stalker?” Yves probed further, wriggling her eyebrows.

“Maybe I am,” Jungeun replied brazenly, unwilling to back down. She stuck her tongue out just to take it up a notch.

“I know I’m difficult to approach,” Yves abruptly admitted, deflating in place. “I just don’t know how to seem less intimidating. I don’t care about the rest of the school, I just really wish the girls from the squad would rely on me more.” Jungeun swore she saw Yves pouting but they were right between two lamp poles where it was a little bit darker, so she wasn’t a hundred percent sure.

“They already look up to you so much, at least from what I’ve seen,” Jungeun pointed out, choosing her words carefully. It seemed like an issue that had truly been worrying Yves. “I think saying something like ‘try to let down your guard’ or anything like that is a bit pointless. It’s easier said than done and it'd be unfair to expect you to change overnight. Instead, I’ll share with you my tricks to approach people.”

Yves nodded with an expectant expression, motioning for Jungeun to continue.

“First, you need to have a beautiful smile like mine,” Jungeun noted, pointing to her purposely stretched lips. Yves merely rolled her eyes. “Second, an impeccable sense of humor—ouch!”

Yves jabbed Jungeun in the ribs before walking to a nearby trash can to dispose of her paper cone. “I don’t know why I even bothered asking,” she sighed, shaking her head in disbelief.

Jungeun let go of the railing, catching up with Yves who was already walking away. “Third, just try to be yourself. We’ve been talking for over an hour and it hasn’t been awkward at all at any point.”

“I just find it easy to talk to you for some reason,” Yves mumbled in response. “Maybe because you’re such a brat.”

Jungeun was flattered and the grin spreading across her lips confirmed it, but she needed to help Yves before teasing her about her previous statement. “Food also helps. My grandma once told me that she was very shy when she was younger, so she didn’t know how to show her feelings when she met my grandfather. She had seen him buying chapssal-tteok at a nearby stall a couple of times, though. So, one day, she waited for him to walk by in the morning on his way to school and gave him a box of homemade chapssal-tteok. That’s when my grandpa realized that the cute girl that he had been crushing on happened to correspond his feelings.”

“For real? That sounds straight out of a drama,” Yves replied with suspicion.  
  


“Yeah, he later confessed to my grandma that he deliberately took the road in front of her house in case he got to see her, even though it took him fifteen minutes longer to get to school.”

  
“Wow, that sounds so cute,” Yves sang with a smile.

“Anyway, my point is that there are other ways to show how you feel. For example, in my grandma’s case, she shows her love and appreciation through food.”

“Mm, I’ll think about it. That’s not actually bad advice,” Yves murmured contemplatively.

Jungeun let Yves to her own thoughts. The girl looked like she needed some time to sort out her mind, so Jungeun quietly followed her back home.

“So, I’m easy to talk to,” Jungeun blurted out as they rounded the corner of her street.

Yves huffed, waving a hand dismissively. “Oh, I knew you’d be gloating over it. Forget I said anything.”

“Never. I’ll even write it on my diary. ‘Dear Diary, today Yves said I’m the best,” Jungeun teased, pretending to write on her hand with an invisible pen.

“That’s not what I said. You’re insufferable,” Yves retorted, letting out another exasperated sigh, which prompted a loud guffaw from Jungeun.

The shorter girl stomped her feet and pressed her arms against her body to stop her loud burst of laughter. It took well over a minute for Jungeun to compose herself. “In all seriousness, you can come to me if you ever want to talk, or even just vent out. I know you have Vivi and Jinsoul, but sometimes it can be harder to talk to those closest to us.”

“Wise words, Kim Jungeun,” Yves mused, leaning against the driver’s side of her car. “You can talk to me too, if you ever need to or something—I don’t know. This is awkward, whatever,” she muttered before clearing her throat as a means to conceal her embarrassment. A moment later, she waved goodbye and slammed the car door shut.

— — —

On Thursday after last period, Jungeun, Chuu, and Heejin walked into the main hallway together. There were no club activities on Tuesdays or Thursdays.

“I left my guitar in our classroom. Mind coming with me to pick it up?” Heejin asked, sticking out her tongue as she bit it with her front teeth in remorse.

Chuu checked her phone anxiously. “Sure, but I’m meeting someone later. So run!”

“Not like I have anything better to do,” Jungeun said with a shrug.

Jungeun and Chuu were waiting just outside their classroom when a slender hand fell upon Jungeun’s shoulder, scaring the girl senseless.

“Jesus Christ, Yves. A simple ‘hi’ would’ve done the trick,” Jungeun gasped, clutching a hand to her chest where her heart was beating erratically.

“OK. So anyway, I went over question nine again but I still don’t get why you said I was wrong. It’s ‘B. chemical energy in the form of glucose’, no? Wait, were you messing with me?” Yves babbled, ignoring Jungeun’s previous remark.

Jungle chuckled. “For real, can you be any more obsessive? I wasn’t kidding though, it’s C.”

“But why?” Yves drawled as she ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

Jungeun looked at the notebook in Yves’s left hand. “You wanna go over it _now_?”

“If not now, when? I have so many things to do this week. Right now is literally the only free time I got. I’m not driving Olivia since she’s going over to a friend’s house. Please,” Yves begged with a pout. Jungeun couldn’t take her eyes off the equally captivating and disturbing scene in front of her.

Heejin unceremoniously cleared her throat next to the pair, snapping Jungeun back to reality. “Are you coming? Chuu is kind of in a hurry, dunno why. I can wait if you want me to, though.”

Jungeun shook her head with a weak smile. “It’s fine. Yves needs some help with our Biology homework, so I’ll stay a bit longer.”

“Alright, bye then,” Heejin replied with a shrug.

“Bye. Sorry that we have to go but have fun studying,” Chuu said earnestly from behind Heejin with a wide smile.

Jungeun waved back at the two girls but froze in surprise midway. “Bye,” Yves said next to her with a shy smile. Jungeun thought it best to avoid making any clever remark about it, though.

Ten minutes later when Yves appeared to have fully grasped what Jungeun was explaining to her, Jungeun got a call. “Come out now, I’m gonna puke all over the front lawn,” she heard Heejin blurt out in an exasperated voice from the other end of the line before the call got disconnected.

Jungeun frantically gathered her belongings and shoved them inside her backpack. “I think Heejin’s feeling sick. She’s outside. I’ll be right back,” she attempted to explain calmly, despite the panic written all over her face.

“I already got it anyway. So, let’s just call it a day,” Yves suggested as she followed Jungeun outside.

The parking lot was fairly empty as most students were gone, but the ones who lingered around were gathered near a white sedan parked right in front of the school entrance. Jungeun figured that’s where Heejin lay puking her guts out. She had to do a double take when she finally spotted her friend though as Heejin seemed to be in perfectly good condition.

“I thought you were puking,” Jungeun note in utter confusion.

“Yeah, internally,” Heejin deadpanned, pointing at a couple in front of them.

A handsome boy with light brown hair stood there, holding a colorful sign that read ‘Homecoming?” with one hand, while his free hand was holding a girl by the small of her back. The couple was intimately intertwined, sharing a chaste peck. The girl in question was their friend Chuu.

“Oh,” was all Jungeun managed to say.

Heejin gagged. “I know, right? Gross. I think he’s a senior from Fairway High.”

“Not _gross_ , just unexpected,” Jungeun corrected. “I didn’t know she had a boyfriend.”

“We just became official a few days ago,” Chuu beamed as she became aware of her friends’ presence, finally letting go of the boy. She tucked her hair behind her ear coyly once she noticed all the attention they had garnered. “I met him at my Taekwondo center. Heejin, I had already told you about him.”

“I zone out when you start talking about guys,” Heejin responded with a shrug.

The boy gave all of the girls a heartfelt smile. “Hi, I’m Vernon. You must be Heejin and Jungeun,” he greeted in a deep voice.

“Hi. Yeah, I’m Jungeun. Congratulations to you two,” Jungeun chirped with genuine joy, trying to make up for the lack of response from Heejin. “That’s so sweet,” she added, pointing at the cardboard sign.

“I also brought some candy to bribe her in case she wasn’t totally convinced,” Vernon teased, putting his arm over Chuu’s smaller framed casually.

“What do you mean? I told you I liked you too when you confessed to me on Saturday,” Chuu retorted incredulously. “I still want that candy though,” she said with a smirk.

It dawned upon Jungeun that there was still a lot about Chuu and Heejin that she didn’t know—a whole life outside of school, in this case. It probably went both ways, how much had she let Chuu and Heejin see.

But Chuu seemed happy and that was all that mattered. “Were you ever planning on telling me about it? I want the whole story,” Jungeun remarked with a pout.

“Take your time,” Vernon told Chuu as he walked back to his car. “I think I actually brought too much candy. Maybe your friends would like some lollipops or cotton candy.”

Jungeun’s head snapped to the spot beside her at the boy’s last words. She was sure that Yves had come outside with her. Where had she gone? Jungeun’s eyes scanned the whole parking lot but the girl was nowhere to been seen. She turned around, thinking that maybe she’d missed Yves among the crowd, but the impromptu mob had mostly dispersed by now. Just then, she noticed the school's front door closing slowly in the distance. The gate’s damper mechanism prevented the heavy door from slamming shut so Jungeun glanced just in time to see Yves disappear inside the school. Her gut feeling was telling her to go after the cheerleading captain.

“I-I wish I could stay but I just…I forgot something important inside,” Jungeun stammered. “You better tell me all about it tomorrow, Chuu. I’m happy for you,” she added over her shoulder as she sped toward the main entrance.

Jungeun caught a glimpse of Yves marching toward the bathroom. Inside, Yves was leaning against the opposite wall, her back against the frosted window.

Jungeun went in hesitantly, stopping right by the door. “Are you OK?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Yves retorted. The afternoon orange hues shone brightly behind her in a way such that Jungeun could barely make out the edges of her silhouette.

“I don’t know. You just kind of disappeared back there and you look kind of…upset,” Jungeun observed.

“I’m fine. You can go,” Yves hissed.

Jungeun took another tentative step toward the cheerleading captain. “I told you I’d lend you an ear whenever you needed to talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk. Just go,” Yves insisted in a threatening tone.

Jungeun let out a defeated sigh and made a motion to leave but stopped abruptly, her hand on the doorknob. She was about to cross a line and say something that she wouldn’t be able to take back. She bit her lip nervously before saying, “I know I’m overstepping here, but is it perhaps about of Chuu?”

“It’s not what you think,” Yves snarled visibly agitated right. She brought a hand to her mouth in surprise when she realized her mistake. Jungeun seemed to have struck a nerve and in the heat of the moment, Yves had let panic get the best of her instead of refuting the other girl's claim. 

“I don’t know much honestly, except that we were outside and for some reason, you ran away to lock up in this bathroom. So, what’s the matter? You can trust me. Whatever you tell me is just between you and me, it won’t leave this room,” Jungeun assured as she cautiously moved closer to Yves.

Yves gulped but seemed to yield. “How much do you know?”

Jungeun sat down on the window ledge beside Yves. “You used to be friends but then you drifted apart a few years back. Heejin blamed it all on you and although Chuu didn’t deny it, she said you probably had your reasons. That’s about it.”

“They’re both right,” Yves sighed. She took her time choosing her next words but Jungeun waited patiently. “I pushed Jiwoo away and ended our friendship.”

This time, Jungeun felt like the other girl was waiting for an encouragement to continue, one last push. “Why?” she offered softly.

It felt like an eternity before Yves finally replied. “I used to like her,” she whispered, raising her face up toward the ceiling, eyes closed shut as she let out a shaky breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By now you probably have a clue of where the story is going. Expect some mild plot twists in the next couple of chapters. My favorite will happen in the next chapter (Hint: Cafeteria Divas).   
> I’ll try to upload at least one chapter per week since I don’t have much going on these days (the story is probably going to be around 8 chapters long).
> 
> Thanks to everybody for all your kudos and comments!!! I’ve seen and read all of them :]


	5. Pitfall!

“So I guess that situation back there with Chuu and that guy must have been uncomfortable,” Jungeun ventured after what seemed like an eternity, trying to get Yves to keep talking.

“Oh, it’s not like that anymore though,” the captain assured her without missing a beat. “I don’t like her like that now. Eventually, I was able to deal with my”—Yves cleared her throat before continuing—“my feelings for her.”

“Even if it’s not like that, you know you can trust me and tell me all about it. I’m won’t tell anybody. I told you already that you can come talk to me whenever you want to, no judgment,” Jungeun replied. “ _You’ve got a friend in me. You’ve got a friend in me,”_ she started singing, attempting to reduce some of the tension.

Yves let out a soft chuckle, bringing a hand to her mouth. “Wow, a Toy Story reference. That’s deep.”

“At least I made you laugh,” Jungeun countered with a raised brow.

Yves propped herself off the window ledge, taking a step forward. “Did you really mean it? Do you really wanna know about it? I-I’ve never told anybody,” she hesitated, biting her lip as she turned around to look at Jungeun.

The pretty face that looked back at Jungeun was overcome with apprehension. “Yeah, I always mean what I say,” Jungeun replied with as much reassurance as she could muster. “Except when I don’t,” she couldn’t help adding with a goofy smirk.

Yves threw Jungeun a questioning look, unsure if the girl’s words had made any sense at all. “Well, I already told you part of it, so I might as well tell you the rest. But not in this filthy bathroom,” she said, throwing a disgusted look at their surroundings. “Let’s get out of here.”

— — —

“So anyway, that’s actually why I pushed Jiwoo away. I panicked at the thought of her finding out, or _anybody_ finding out, for that matter. I didn’t like the way I felt around her, I was afraid of what it meant,” Yves concluded, letting out a long sigh.

A cool breeze made up for the bright sun that shone right in front of them as it descended on the horizon. Kim Lip had tailed Yves’s car as she drove to the beach. They walked to a quiet spot and made themselves comfortable under the shadow of an old pier.

Jungeun had listened attentively throughout the whole story. “I see,” she let out, trying to process everything and choose her next words carefully. “So, you never talked to Chuu about it after that?”

“After that, I never talked to her about anything really,” Yves replied, brushing her long hair with her hand and sweeping it all to her right side. “What I did to her was awful, throwing away our friendship out of the blue like that, but I didn’t really know what else to do. Today wasn’t much different. Although this time I guess I ran away out of guilt, instead. I feel this weight every time I look at her, I hate myself for how I treated her,” she explained, closing her eyes as she clenched her jaw.

Although it seemed rather obvious, Jungeun felt like it was still worth asking. “Have you ever thought about telling her all of this or at least reaching out so you can clear things up?”

“I have thought about it countless times but I’ve never actually gone through with it,” Yves replied with a tight-lipped smile.

Jungeun hesitated before opening her mouth again, unsure of the effect her next words would have. “I don’t know if this will make things better or worse but I kinda have the feeling that she knows already,” she finally said, drawing indescribable patterns on the sand with her index finger.

Yves sighed, hunching down. “I think so too. The way she behaved around me even after everything I did to her, it was like she was walking on eggshells, like she understood. But I feel like talking to her about it now would just rehash old wounds. Like, what would even be the point after so much time has passed?”

“Well, as you said, you ran away earlier today _again_ ,” Jungeun replied. “It looks like there’s still some unresolved stuff that you need to deal with, for the sake of your own mental health.”

“But what about Jiwoo? She’s happy, she’s moved on from all this drama. What’s the point of unloading all of this emotional baggage on her now?” Yves wondered, resting the side of her face on her tucked knees.

“A few days ago she told me she’d always think of you as a friend. You’re making it sound as if reaching out would be this totally selfish action, but put yourself in her shoes. I bet you’d probably want some sort of explanation, or an apology. It’s not just you who got hurt here,” Jungeun tried explaining, looking at Yves straight in the eye.

The cheerleading captain let out another sigh before leaning back on the sand with her elbows. “Why do you suddenly have to be so wise? Can’t you just give me some crappy advice and go about your day?”

“What kind of friend would I be if I did that? Just think about it. If you think it resonates with you, then give it a go and try to talk to her. Otherwise, forget I said anything,” Jungeun concluded with a timid smile as she stretched out her legs. They were beginning to go numb from sitting cross-legged for so long.

Yves grumbled, rolling onto her stomach so she could bury her face in her hands “I know you’re right. I’m just stalling so I don’t have to verbalize it.”

Jungeun chuckled at her antics. “I still remember that time you told me you’re quick to admit your mistakes…”

“Fine, you’re right. I have to talk to Chuu. This whole thing I’ve been doing these past years has been nothing but dumb and childish. Happy?”

“Wow, I didn’t expect a full-on admission just yet,” Jungeun quipped but softened her tone in the end. “Don’t be so harsh on yourself. You were trapped between a rock and a hard place.”

“It actually feels kind of nice to finally say it all out loud. It’s like a burden has been lifted off my shoulders,” Yves disclosed, lifting her head. They fell quiet for a moment, both relishing the last remains of the day as the sun sank below the horizon. “I’ll try to talk to her sometime this week. If I don’t do it soon, I’ll never do it. I know myself,” she added after a moment's thought.  
  


“Just do it whenever you feel ready, don’t put so much pressure on yourself,” Jungeun said as she brushed some sand off her jeans. “Fancy some cotton candy? I personally don’t like it that much but you seem to really love it,” she said, pointing at the familiar sweets stall by the sidewalk.

“On you? Yes, let’s go!” Yves beamed as she rushed to her feet, dragging Jungeun by the arm impatiently.

— — —

The following Monday, as Jungeun walked from the parking lot to the main school building, a boy standing by the steps outside the entrance waved at her. Mark and Haechan were among the group of boys with him and they greeted her too.

“Hey, you’re Jungeun, right? I’m Kai from class B,” the tall, tanned boy introduced himself with a friendly smile.

“Hi. Yes, I’m Jungeun, the new girl,” Jungeun joked, trying to hide some of her nervousness. She wasn’t all that good at talking with random strangers in public spaces.

“I know. I’ve seen you with Yves and the cheer squad. Anyway, I’m throwing a party this Friday at my house and I’m inviting most seniors and junior. You should come too,” Kai suggested as he put his hands in his pockets.

Jungeun scratched the back of her neck. “Thank you for inviting me. I’ll think about it,” she replied without much conviction.

“I’m sure the girls from the squad would’ve invited you anyway and it's also all over Instagram. I just wanted to say hi in person, in case you were like ‘who’s that guy Kai, anyway, and why would I go to his house?” he said in a high-pitched voice that actually made Jungeun laugh.

“I definitely don’t sound like that but I’ll let it slide because your facial expressions were quite on point. Nice to meet you, Kai. I’ll think about that party of yours. Might swing by,” Jungeun replied as she waved goodbye at him and walked to her classroom.

She walked up the stairs but a light tap on her shoulder stopped her only a few steps away from her destination. “Morning. You finally met Kai, eh? I just bumped into him at the entrance and he told me. Are you going to his party?” Yves asked with an enthusiastic expression.

Jungeun made a grimace. She wasn’t actually planning to go. “I don’t know yet. Maybe?”

“Everybody’s going, you should definitely go. His parties are always the best.”

Jungeun bit her lip, watching as students walked down the hallway to their respective classroom. “I don’t know that many people at this school.”

Yves narrowed her eyes and pouted, poking Jungeun’s side. “You know me and the rest of the cheerleaders. I’m sure Chuu and Heejin will go too, literally all seniors are going. Probably some sophomores and freshmen will try to sneak in as well, everybody loves Kai and his parties.”

“Yeah, I can see that. He seemed…actually nice.” Jungeun replied, dropping her eyes to the floor.

“He’s super nice,” Yves agreed with a hearty nod. “We actually go way back.”

Jungeun had a sudden sinking feeling upon hearing Yves's words but it went away as soon as it came. She wasn’t sure what was going on with her today, she was a feeling a bit off. “Oh, right. Jinsoul said most students think you two have a...thing.”

“Well, of course that’s not the case,” Yves replied in an insinuating tone, throwing a cautious glance down the hallway to make sure there weren’t any students nearby. “I don’t think I told you on Thursday but I’m only into— _you know,”_ Yves implied in a whisper and then only mouthing the word ‘ _girls’_.

“Oh,” was all Jungeun could say in return as she struggled to clear her inexplicably dry throat.

Yves didn't seem to notice Jungeun's strange antics though. “Anyway, he used to be a student at my mom’s ballet studio so we met when we were about six or seven. But then, his dad wanted him to get more serious about rugby so he had to quit. I don’t think he knows about _you know what_ , but he’s never tried to make a pass on me or anything,” Yves explained with an impressed look.

“You’re a lot more talkative than usual. Had a good weekend?” Jungeun asked, changing the topic.

“Not really, I was busy all weekend and Olivia’s been a bit of a bitch lately. Remind me to talk to her later. I don’t know what’s up with her,” Yves replied, rolling her eyes as she let out a displeased huff. “But you know what? I didn’t know it’d feel this good to have somebody to talk to about _you know what_. I feel so light, it's like I can finally breathe,” she added with the widest and most mesmerizing smile. Jungeun noticed for the first time that Yves's nose scrunched up a little whenever one of those genuine smiles adorned her features.

“Glad to hear I was of any help,” Jungeun retorted with a complacent smirk, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “I’m a great listener, or so I’ve heard.”

“Well, you can’t run away or take your words back now, Lippie. You’re the only one I can talk to, I need you,” Yves professed dramatically, placing the back of her hand over her forehead as she looked up at the sky like a damsel in distress.

Jungeun rolled her eyes. “Oh, look! Just got a notification from Korean Air, 50% off on one-way tickets to Seoul–ouch!” Jungeun yelped in response to Yves’s pointy index that the girl had just buried in her ribs with a betrayed expression.

“I wasn’t really kidding,” Yves muttered as she squinted her eyes.

“It’s kind of even more unsettling if you say that, you know,” Jungeun replied, narrowing her eyes back at Yves. From the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar girl climbing the stairs at full speed as she rushed to make it in time to her classroom.

“Jungie! Don’t tell me you just arrived too, aren’t you always way earlier than me?” Heejin asked in shock as she stopped beside Jungeun to catch her breath. “Oh, hi,” she added with a tight-lipped smile once she noticed Yves’s presence.

“Hi,” Yves replied awkwardly. “It’s getting kind of late, I better go to my classroom,” she said, pointing to the adjacent room before hurrying off.

— — —

Jungeun didn’t expect to see Yves again so soon. She was walking to the cafeteria with Chuu and Heejin during lunch break when she spotted Yves leaning against a wall with her phone in her hand. The captain wasn’t in the company of Jinsoul and Vivi, which was a little odd.

Yves looked up from her phone with an apologetic expression as the trio walked in front of her. “Can I steal Jungeun from you guys today?” she asked. “We’re still trying to figure out the last question of our Biology assignment and we need to hand it in after lunch.”

“O-Of course!” Chuu replied, trying to sound casual. “See you later, Jungie,”

“See you later, Jungie,” Heejin muttered, betrayal written all over her face, as she followed Chuu to the cafeteria.

“Our Biology assignment?” Jungeun whispered with confusion once her friends were out of earshot. “The one that we already submitted _yesterday,_ ahead of time?”

“Right, except _they_ don’t know that,” Yves whispered back with a complicit look.

Jungeun studied Yves’s face with suspicion. “OK, then—what’s up? Missed me already? Please, don’t say yes.”

Yves resumed walking to the cafeteria with her arms crossed. “I’m thinking about making the most out of this optimistic lightness that I’ve been feeling since Thursday and just ask Jiwoo to talk today after class before I chicken out,” she explained.

“Are you sure? I mean, if you really are ready, go for it. But, you know, no need to force yourself if you aren’t,” Jungeun reminded Yves in a gentle tone.

“I’ve put this off for so long that it doesn’t matter anyway whether I’m ready or not,” the captain retorted stubbornly. “Just try to ask Chuu later whether she’s free after band practice. If she is, I’ll try to catch her later at the parking lot.”

“Why don’t you just text her?” Jungeun asked as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“I don’t have her number,” Yves confessed, a light flush spreading across her cheeks. “And anyway, I think I’d rather approach her in person so I can gauge her reaction in advance.”

Jungeun nodded in understanding. “Alright, I have Film class with her. I’ll ask her then and let you know before practice,” she replied as they lined up at the cafeteria.

“Thanks,” Yves beamed.

A thought crossed Jungeun’s mind as they sat down with their trays at an empty table. “Are Vivi and Jinsoul not joining you for lunch?”

“I told them I needed a few minutes to discuss our homework so they might’ve ditched lunch to go take a nap or buy coffee,” Yves said with a grimace. “You can go back to sit with Chuu and Heejin though. Some of the other cheerleaders are over there, or I can just go sit with Kai and Ten. We need to talk about some boring stuff about the Homecoming Festival anyway,” she added with a dull look.

“I’m sure sitting with you just this one day won’t kill me,” Jungeun chuckled.

At that moment, Jungeun caught sight of Olivia in the distance. The girl was striding across the cafeteria with a determined glare. She stopped right at their table, successfully interrupting the girls’ trivial banter. Yves’s sister was accompanied by a shorter girl with light blonde hair.

“I can’t make it to practice. I’m going to Gowon's after class,” Olivia informed her sister with a certain edge to her voice.

“Again?” Yves retorted audibly but quickly lowered her voice as she noticed the curious stares they were getting from nearby tables. “I can’t keep covering for you. You’re putting me in an awkward position with the rest of the squad, Olivia,” she murmured.

“You know what? I quit. I never even liked cheerleading in the first place,” Olivia growled as something seemed to snap inside her. “I’d rather spend time with Gowon—my _girlfriend_ by the way— than try to play the part of the perfect daughter.”

Yves gaped at the scene in front of her in utter shock. “Olivia, wait. Y-you like…”

“I don’t expect your homophobic ass to get it so just stay out of my business,” Olivia replied as she grabbed Gowon’s hand and turned around to leave. “I’ll deal with mom and dad my own, so you better stay out of it.”

The whole cafeteria fell silent for what felt like an eternity, the only sound was the echo of the couple’s footsteps as they exited the cafeteria.

Yves remained glued to her seat with her mouth wide open as the gears turned in her head. “How awful of a sister am I? Be honest with me,” she finally whined as she slumped over the table.

Jungeun blinked in disbelief. It was hard to believe what had just happened in the span of a few minutes. “I mean, she doesn’t seem to know about you either so… I’d say you’re both equally terrible,” she noted, trying to fight back a chuckle. The situation couldn’t possibly be any more ridiculous.

“I know, right? She called _me_ homophobic,” Yves whispered, incredulous. “Can you believe that?”

“Are all your siblings… you know, not straight?” Junegun teased to lighten the mood.

“It’s just Olivia and me so I guess that’s a yes,” Yves drawled as she rested her forehead against the cold table's surface. “I should go after her,” she murmured with a sense of guilt.

Two chairs at their table screeched as Vivi and Jinsoul pulled them to sit down.

“She definitely got that dramatic streak from you. I mean, she could’ve done that in private,” Jinsoul commented interrupting their conversation and bringing Yves back to reality. For a moment she had forgotten that the whole cafeteria was still watching.

“That was quite a…spectacle,” Vivi observed, studying Yves with a worried expression.

“I have to go,” Yves blurted out of nowhere, rushing to her feet. “I need to talk to her.”

“Yves,” Jungeun called out before the girl could get any farther away. “You got this,” she asserted with an encouraging smile.

Yves tried to reciprocate the gesture but the anxiety looming over her features was still evident enough for Jungeun to notice. She couldn’t help the frown that tainted her features as she watched the captain walk away.

— — —

Yves and Olivia didn’t go to practice that day. Jungeun felt like it’d be better to give Yves some time before asking her about it directly, but the lack of any calls or texts was a little bit worrying. Tuesday wasn’t much different and Jungeun was starting to grow impatient.

Jungeun checked her phone for the hundredth time that day as she gathered her belongings, only to place it down with a disappointed sigh. She hadn’t been able to pay attention to the movie that Mr. Norris had been showing them during History of Film, so she was glad to hear the school bell ring a few seconds ago.

“Everything OK?” Chuu asked, pointing at Jungeun’s phone.

“Uh, the cheerleaders—they’ve been texting in our group chat about Kai’s party all day,” Jungeun lied swiftly, although it wasn’t completely a lie. It just wasn’t particularly a concern per se. “He kind of invited me the other day and everyone says I should go but I’m not so sure about it. Are any of you going?”

“Of course I’m going!” Chuu replied excitedly. “Heejin always skips those things but I usually go with my friends from the student council. Jooe’s mom will be driving us,” she added with a wide smile as she jumped up and down with excitement. 

“Yeah, it’s a big no from me. I was planning on having a KimeYaiba marathon this Friday anyway,” Heejin said with a shrug.

“So it’s gonna be okay? I’ve actually never been to a house party. We don’t have those in Korea,” Jungeun admitted, ducking her head in embarrassment.

“Oh my god! How cute can you be?” Chuu beamed, pinching Jungeun’s cheek. “I’ll ask Jooe if we can pick you up too. There’s gonna be drinking involved so you don’t wanna drive there. Don’t worry, Jungie. I’ll show the ropes of American high school parties,” she added in a confident tone, wrapping an arm around her friend protectively.

A figure standing at the door of the media room stopped the three girls in their tracks. Heejin and Chuu resumed walking as they bid Jungeun goodbye but Yves’s words caught everyone by surprise.

“Hi,” Yves hesitated, clearing her throat. “I actually wanted to talk to Jiwoo.”

“Oh,” was all Chuu could answer.

“Only if you have time right now, obviously. It’s nothing too urgent,” Yves quickly added.

Chuu hesitated before answering, “Sure, let’s go.”

“Great. Bye, I’ll talk to you later, Lippie,” Yves said with a note of relief, waving goodbye.

Chuu waved goodbye too, following Yves outside. “See you two tomorrow!”

Heejin’s scrutinizing eyes shifted between Chuu and Yves until they finally landed on Jungeun. “Do you know what that’s about?”

Jungeun looked elsewhere—anywhere, really—trying to avoid her friend’s prying stare. “Maybe,” she merely replied.

Heejin sighed as she adjusted the strap of her messenger bag. “Will I have to punch Yves tomorrow? Is Chuu gonna be okay?”

“Yeah, a hundred percent. Yves’s got nothing but good intentions. It’s a conversation that was long overdue,” Jungeun assured her friend with a thumbs up.

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” Heejin countered, though her frown subsided.

“OK, no need to be so dramatic,” Jungeun reasoned. “Do you want to get some food before going home?” she asked, hoping the invitation would help ease her friend’s mood.

“Actually,” Heejin said as a light bulb seemed to go on in her head, “could you drive me to Seaside Mall? I need new strings for my guitar.”

“Lead the way,” Jungeun instructed with a content smile.

— — —

“So you’re really not gonna tell me why Yves wanted to talk to Chuu?” Heejin urged Jungeun as they left Sounds City, a musical instruments store located on the second floor of the local shopping center.

Jungeun sighed. “It’s their personal business. I don’t think I should be the one to tell you,” she replied. Heejin hadn’t mentioned the topic during their drive there so she had half hoped, half expected her friend to have forgotten all about it by now.

Heejin studied Jungeun’s face with an almost imperceptible smirk. “Can I take a wild guess? You don’t have to reply if you don’t want to.”

“It’s a free world, I guess,” Jungeun sighed.

Heejin, who had been walking a step ahead of Jungeun, turned around to fully face her friend before she spoke. “I guess Yves finally got the balls to tell Chuu about her crush, didn’t she?” It didn’t even sound like a question at all.

Jungeun froze in the middle of the hallway and stared back at her friend with wide eyes, mouth slightly ajar.

“ _That_ face already tells me everything I need to know. No need to reply,” Heejin noted. “Playing the part of an outside observer allows you to see things with a significant level of clarity. I know people take me for someone rather aloof but I happen to be quite observant,” she went on, dragging Jungeun down the hallway along with her by the arm.

After a few moments, Jungeun regained control of her facial muscles. “What other things do you know?” she asked in a small voice. Jungeun wasn’t quite sure she wanted to hear the answer to that question.

Heejin tilted her head in thought before replying. “For starters, Yves should’ve seen Olivia’s outburst coming. It was bound to happen,” Heejin observed. “Although, I’m actually more surprised at how unaware of her surroundings Olivia can be. I spat my pudding when Olivia called Yves homophobic, not gonna lie.”

“How much do you know?” A mixture of amazement and fear painted Jungeun’s voice.

“Only what I’ve been able to observe since I moved here. That was about three years ago, at the beginning of freshman year. This school is not that interesting if you ask me, though,” Heejin explained distractedly. She was busy looking at an information sign. “Anyway, wanna have some food before going home? I’m starving,” she nonchalantly added.

Jungeun gave up her little interrogation. She was beginning to feel the first signs of a headache and she thought maybe food could help with that.

Heejin didn’t seem quite done though. “So what do you think about this whole Korean drama?” she asked once they had gotten their orders and found a table at the food court.

Jungeun struggled to swallow a bite of her burger before replying. “What do you mean?” she grumbled. The girl just wanted to eat her goddamn burger in peace but that didn’t seem like an option at the moment.

Heejin’s eyes softened at the sight of her distressed friend. “From what I remember, stuff like sexual orientation and gender identity are not widely discussed topics in Korea,” she specified.

“I don’t see any problem with it. It doesn’t change much about who they are. Olivia is still scary and Yves is still, you know, Yves,” Jungeun replied after taking a sip of her Coke.

Heejin nodded. “Good, I would’ve had to unfriend you if you had said something moronic or hateful,” she teased.

Jungeun cast her eyes down, distractedly twisting her middle finger ring. “Although,” she began, “I don’t think it’s something I would’ve given much thought to if I was still living in Korea. There are a lot of things people talk so freely about here that are not really discussed openly over there.”

“Yeah, well—America’s the “land of the free,” or so they say,” Heejin reasoned.

Jungeun chuckled. “I saw condoms at the front office on my first day.”

“Safety first,” Heejin declared with a chuckle of her own. “And you—do you like anyone?”

Jungeun choked on her Coke. “I haven’t really thought about it,” she answered after calming down.

“It’s not something you think about, it’s something you feel, Jungie,” Heejin contended gently.

Jungeun narrowed her eyes at her friend. “Why do I suddenly feel like I’m at therapy?”

Heejin held up her palms in front of her to show she was being sincere. “I’m your friend, I’m just curious. Plus, we’ve been talking about everyone’s lives except yours.”

If it were anybody else, Jungeun wouldn’t have replied. But it was Heejin she was talking to and the girl already seemed to know everything, so Jungeun found no harm in opening up to her. “I don’t think I’ve ever liked anybody, to be honest. I used to have a crush on this sunbae from Pantone when I first joined but that just seems like a silly childhood crush now. I was always busy with school and hagwon and my dance crew, it was hard to find the time to even meet anyone. You know how stressful life can be in Korea.”

Heejin nodded pensively, appearing to go over Jungeun’s words, before replying. “You’re not gonna hear me say this ever again but I think it’d do good to go to Kai’s party.”

Jungeun was taken aback by that. “Is this a trap?”

“I mean it. Make the most out of your high school experience here. I think people our age here are expected to start figuring out who they are in high school—to make it into a self-learning experience. As opposed to in Korea, where they’re supposed to just study to get into a good university—so they end up doing the whole self-discovery bit in college,” Heejin suggested in a level tone. She sounded like someone you’d listen to, someone you’d come to for advice. “So my point is: try everything out, party to your heart’s content, kiss anybody you feel like kissing, have your cake and eat it too.”

“Bold of you to say all that when you’ll be staying at home watching anime,” Jungeun retorted.

Heejin smiled with endearment. “I already tried all that and found out I didn’t like it, it wasn’t my thing. But the point is that I tried it first.”

“What do you mean by that? Tried what exactly?” Jungeun probed with caution, unsure of whether she wanted to know what Heejin was implying. “So, like, who was your first crush then?”

Heejin looked back at her with a strange look, suddenly looking wiser beyond her years. “I’ve never liked anybody and I don’t think I ever will,” she casually confessed.

“Like, never ever in your life?” Jungeun asked in disbelief.

“I’m not attracted to people that way,” Heejin explained calmly. “Do you know what the term ‘aromatic’ means?” she asked before taking a sip of her Sprite.

Jungeun tilted her head to the side, thinking. “No, I don’t think so. I’ve never heard that before.”

“Aromantic people don’t experience romantic attraction toward other people,” Heejin explained. “This is more than enough for me,” she added, pointing between them. “Friendship is all I need,” she concluded with a genuine smile.

“So you don’t think you’ll ever feel attracted to anybody ever?” Jungeun was trying her best to retain everything, it was all very new to her.

“Some people will say stuff like ‘you’re too young to know,’ but I know. I’m just not wired that way. Doesn’t mean I can’t tell when someone’s attractive or can’t enjoy sex, I’m just not looking for that idyllic concept of a romantic partner.”

“It’s the first time I’m hearing of someone being aromantic,” Jungeun admitted with an attentive look. “Thanks for telling me all that.”

“The more you know,” Heejin crooned. “Ask me any time you have any questions, I don’t mind at all.”

A thought popped into Jungeun’s head and a slight frown made its way to her forehead. “How would I know then?”

“Know what?” Heejin asked, confused.

“Do you think I’ll ever like someone?”

“It’s not my place to make assumptions, but, I don’t know—do you like boys or girls? Maybe you like looking at them?” Heejin probed, patiently.

Jungeun looked even more helpless now. “I…I don’t know.”

“Well, would you like to have that type of romantic connection with someone?” Heejin rephrased this time, trying to point Jungeun to think about it from a different perspective.

“I think so, yeah,” Jungeun said, this time more confidently.

“I guess that’s a good place to start, then,” Heejin replied. “Just let it come to you naturally. Eventually you’ll fall for someone and you’ll have your answer. You have your whole life to figure it out, Jungie,” she said, squeezing Jungeun’s hand reassuringly.

— — —

Yves had offered Jungeun to stay at her place along with Vivi and Jinsoul. Jungeun, in all honesty, felt bad about making Chuu’s friend, who she had never met before, pick her up on Friday for the party, so she took up Yves on her offer. She was also hoping she’d finally get some time to talk to Yves about everything that was going on with her sister and Chuu. Yves had told her that both things had been more or less settled, but she hadn’t gotten into the specifics.

“Wait, hold up there.” Taeyeon stopped Jungeun as she was walking back to her room from the kitchen. “Looking nice. You said you were going to a party, right?”

“Yep, I’m coming back tomorrow,” Jungeun reminded her aunt. “I’ll be staying at a friend’s house since we’ll be drinking at the party.”

“A boy’s house?” Taeyeon teased with a smirk.

“Jinsoul, Vivi, and I will be crashing at Yves’s house since she lives like a block away from the guy who’s hosting the party,” Jungeun replied without taking the bait.

“Well, I’m supposed to tell you to remember to drink responsibly but you know that better than I do. So, instead, remember to have fun,” Taeyeon said with a lopsided smile.

“I’ll try my best,” Jungeun sighed as she walked back up to her room.

“Oh and Jungie, you know it’s fine if you were to stay at a boy’s house, just—you know—use protection,” Taeyeon shouted before Jungeun could get too far.

“Oh my god, yes. Thank you for the sex-ed talk,” Jungeun replied, flashing her aunt a tight-lipped smile.

“You can come to me if you ever have any questions, alright? I’m all ears,” Taeyeon insisted.

Jungeun cleared her throat, slightly embarrassed by the topic. “Alright, thanks.”

She was already halfway up the stairs when Jungeun changed her mind and went back down into the living room.

“When was the first time you liked someone? Not like a celebrity crush but actually liking someone,” Jungeun asked without skipping a beat.

Taeyeon looked taken aback by her niece’s sudden question but replied right away. “Back in high school, in Korea. He had a voice as beautiful as mine, maybe even more, and he was so handsome. Now, he turned out to be a real dick but we both already know that I have very questionable taste in men.”

“And how did you first know you liked him?” Jungeun asked, her interest peaked.

Taeyeon took her time before replying, trying to recall the episode. “We were practicing this duet for music class,” she started, “and he just bent over to take a look at the music sheet, placing his hand on the small of my back, and I felt this warm jolt in my stomach. It was like that feeling you get when you ride a roller coaster.”

Jungeun hummed in acknowledgment. “Thanks. I think I kind of understand,” she said. “Now that you’re older, does it still feel like that when you fall in love?”

“You’re mixing up things. Liking someone and falling in love are completely different fields,” Taeyeon explained. “There’s a lot more depth and layers, a lot more feelings involved. It’s a lot more complicated, too.”

“Oh, right,” Jungeun blurted, still a bit confused.

Taeyeon stood up from the sofa, walking toward Jungeun. “Take it one step at a time, Jungie. You wouldn’t jump into a swimming pool without a swimming suit or without knowing how to swim, would you?”

“Gotcha, one step at a time,” Jungeun repeated. “Thanks, that was very… insightful.”

“Any time,” Taeyeon replied, patting her niece on the shoulder.

— — —

That night, at around seven-thirty, Jungeun set off to Yves’s house, bringing only the essentials. Yves had insisted that there was no need to bring a sleeping bag or anything else, like the previous time when the whole squad had stayed over at her house. Vivi was already there when Jungeun arrived, whereas Jinsoul was fifteen minutes late, so they ended up leaving Yves’s house at around half-past eight. It wasn’t a very long stretch anyway as Yves lived literally five houses away from Kai.

Most people seemed to have arrived by the time the three girls made it to his house. There were over a hundred people but the house was so big that it didn’t look crowded by any means. Jungeun saw a lot of people she didn’t recognize, probably freshmen or sophomores, or perhaps students from other schools, she suspected.

“Kai always throws a party a few weeks into September to welcome the semester and he’s a senior now so this time he went all out,” Vivi said over the sound of the speakers as she pointed around them.

“My brother told me that Kai’s older brother, Woobin, started the tradition when he was a student at Braxton,” Jinsoul quipped, leading them to the backyard.

“Hey, you girls came,” Kai exclaimed as he saw them walk by the beer pong table.

“Wouldn’t have missed it for anything, it’s our senior year,” Yves replied in a nostalgic tone.

“We’re getting old, man,” Kai mused as he gave Yves a side hug as a greeting. “I gotta finish this game but the booze table is over there by the pool.”

Next to Kai was a boy called Ten, a student from class B, and on the other side of the table were Haechan and his girlfriend, Ryujin, who Jungeun knew from cheerleading squad.

“Ey, Viv, let’s play doubles against Mark and Jinsoul. Doyoung just decided that he doesn’t wanna play so we need two people,” Lucas said from a sofa located next to the ping pong table. Lucas, Mark, and Doyoung had been watching the game while they waited for their turn. “Gotta defend the family honor.”

“Let’s make it boys versus girls, instead” Jinsoul countered, getting fired up by the idea.

“Looser jumps in the pool?” Mark suggested.

Vivi sighed in resignation, seeming to anticipate Jinsoul’s reply.

“Fine by me. Bring it on,” Jinsoul challenged the boys confidently.

“Run away before they make you part of the bet too,” Kai whispered to them as he walked back to throw the ping pong ball in his hand.

“I think I’ll go get us some drinks,” Yves interjected with a worried expression. “Lippie, wanna come?”

“Oh, sure. Let’s go,” Jungeun replied, thankful for the lifeline Yves was tossing her.

They heard cheering from the table as they walked away.

“Kai never loses a game,” Yves said in regards to the noise. “I don’t even get why Haechan would wanna play him.”

“Are you good?” Jungeun asked, interested.

“Better than Vivi and Jinsoul, that’s for sure,” Yves replied with a smirk. “Oh, wait. You’ve never played beer pong before, have you?” she added with growing excitement.

Jungeun shook her head. “Not really. It looks fun though.”

Yves couldn’t contain her excitement. “We have to play, then. Don’t worry, I’ll teach. It’s not that difficult.”

They found the alcohol table—which was quite literally a table full of every type of alcohol on earth and two electric coolers on each side—it was in a wooden gazebo right next to the pool. Yves opened the cooler on the left and got a few cans of beer.

Yves turned to Jungeun. “Can you hold your liquor? I wouldn’t want you dying on your first house party like Jinsoul did back in sophomore year.”

“Kind of, I guess. I mean, I’ve only tried beer and soju—and tequila once but it was gross,” Jungeun replied hesitantly.

“Wait, actually…I think you’re in luck,” Yves murmured as she opened the other cooler to show Jungeun a few bottles of soju.

Jungeun made a grimace, shuddering. “I think I’ll just stick to beer for now.”

“Good idea,” Yves agreed. “By the way, don’t accept beer from Kai’s cup because he usually mixes it with soju and it messes you up pretty fast. The boys from the rugby team drink like maniacs,” Yves commented disapprovingly.

“Jungie!” Chuu exclaimed as she ran in their direction with a wide smile. “I’m glad you made it! Sooyoung-ah, good to see you too,” Chuu added as she enveloped Jungeun in a tight hug.

Jungeun stiffened in Chuu’s embrace. Yves had been rather vague about her conversation with Chuu, and although the cheerleading captain had assured her that everything had been cleared up, it was hard for her to believe that a three-year-long feud had been resolved so easily. Still, she reciprocated the hug and then took a step back to observe the two girls in front of her. The air between them still felt charged with tension but they seemed to be making an effort to appear casual.

“Hi,” greeted a girl behind Chuu.

“Oh, right! This is Jooe, a friend from the Student Council. I think you’ve seen her around but I don’t ever recall introducing you two,” Chuu said.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Jungeun.”

“I know, you’ve been the talk of the town, quite literally,” Jooe teasingly replied. “Like Chuu said, I’m Jooe, the representative of class B for the student council.”

“So you’re both in the same class?” Jungeun asked, trying to steer away from the topic of her being some sort of hot issue at school.

Her question seemed to hit a sore spot though, as Jooe and Yves both smiled awkwardly at each other in response.

“Yes, we’re classmates,” Yves curtly replied.

— — —

To the girls’ relief, Vivi and Jinsoul beat Lucas and Mark so there was no diving into the swimming pool on their part. And, as promised, Yves taught Jungeun how to play beer pong once their turn came up. Jooe and Chuu played against them, and Jungeun couldn’t have been more thankful for that. No matter how many tips Yves gave her, she was just terrible, but Chuu wasn’t any better. The only ones hitting the cups were Yves and Jooe.

After the game, Jooe and Chuu excused themselves in order to go to the bathroom, while Vivi and Johnny moved somewhere else to talk more privately. Johnny had come sometime during the beer pong game, warmly greeting everyone one by one. He was apparently the Student Council president and also a student from class B.

“You think those two are finally gonna kiss tonight?” Jinsoul asked Yves as they watched the couple walk away.

“Who knows? They’re fine separately but together they get so awkward,” Yves replied without much interest in the topic.

“Yo, Kai!” Jinsoul called the boy who was sitting by the pool in his swimming suit. “Pour me one of your killer somaeks.”

“Oh, no. She’s gonna get drunk,” Yves groaned.

“We haven’t drunk that much though,” Jungeun noted. “I think she’ll be fine.”

“She’s a total light-weight,” Yves deadpanned.

“You two want some too?” Kai said walking toward them with Ten.

“Beer’s fine,” Yves declined.

Jungeun for her part was feeling a bit bolder already. “What do you have besides beer and soju?”

“Well, Ten right here can make a mean Gin Tonic,” Kai said, raising an eyebrow.

“Isn’t that just mixing gin and tonic water?” Jungeun guessed confusedly.

“Exactly. My specialty,” Ten declared with a wink, unable to contain a chuckle.

“You sure?” Yves asked with a raised eyebrow. After receiving a nod from Jungeun she said, “Make that two, then.”

“Two Gin Tonics coming right up,” Ten announced, making his way to the gazebo.

Yves sat on the edge of a lounger beside the pool as she waited for her drink, while Jinsoul followed the guys to the gazebo. Jungeun decided to take a seat next to Yves.

“Let me know if you start feeling dizzy, alright?” Yves cautioned, swaying to the beat of the music as she watched the students around her with a strange expression.

“Don’t worry, I’ve drunk a few times with Sunmi and the rest of our dance crew. I can hold my alcohol,” Jungeun assured her friend.

— — —

Sometime later, Lisa joined the group by the pool. After finishing their drinks and pouring themselves some more, Jinsoul, Kai, Ten, and Lisa decided to move to the house’s living room, where some kids were dancing. Kai had even set up some strobe lights.

Lisa didn’t miss the chance to push Yves’s buttons before leaving, though. “Yves, I love your sister. I love Gowon too. I mean, their joint slay at the cafeteria. Does this mean the captain spot is mine now that Olivia quit?”

Yves let out a tired sigh. “If the girls vote for you, then yes.”

“Beautiful. I love them,” Lisa said, throwing kisses in the air. “Love wins,” she exclaimed, walking away.

Eventually, Yves and Jungeun finished their drinks and joined the rest of the group too. The music was good and the company wasn’t bad at all. You wouldn’t have found a better group of dancers anywhere in California that night. Jungeun was actually amazed by how great Kai, Ten, and Lisa were.

After a few songs, Jungeun leaned over to whisper something to Yves, but to her surprise, her friend jerked back like Jungeun had slapped her or something. Jungeun cocked her head, confused. Had Yves trip over something? She leaned again, this time slower. “Do you know where the bathroom is?”

Yves’s eyes widened with surprise. Was that a blush Jungeun saw spreading over her friend’s cheeks? It was dark though, and it could’ve been just the reflection of the flashing neon lights, so she brushed aside the thought.

Yves led her into the kitchen and down a corridor, past the pantry and laundry room. “Not many people know about this bathroom,” Yves revealed, “so it’s usually way cleaner.”

After Jungeun came back out of the bathroom, she realized it was a bit quieter back there than anywhere else in the house. So, Jungeun thought it was the perfect place to ask Yves what she’d been dying to ask. “How did things with Olivia and Chuu go?”

Yves turned around, surprised by the sudden question. “I’ll tell you more tomorrow, but I guess it was all connected somehow. I was able to approach Chuu thanks to Olivia. I mean, she’s been so brave throughout all of this. Watching her face our parents, face the rest of the world, it was so inspiring. Talking to Chuu seemed like such a small hurdle, compared to everything Olivia has been though,” Yves concluded with a proud smile and a twinkle in her eyes.

“I’m proud of you,” Jungeun replied, opening her arms for a hug. “I was afraid of asking, in case you didn’t want to talk about it. But just knowing you’re alright is enough for me.”

Yves hugged Jungeun back, pulling her closer. She was slightly taller so she lifted her head, letting Jungeun’s head rest on the nook of her neck. “Of course I want to tell you all about it, don’t worry about asking. I told you already, you’re the only one I can talk to about these things. I just wanted to tell you everything in person. It’s why I’m glad you accepted my invitation to stay at my place. I promise I’ll tell you everything tomo–”

The sound of the kitchen’s back door opening made the two girls’ recoil from each other like they were touching fire.

Chuu coughed before speaking. “L-looking for the bathroom,” she stuttered awkwardly. Vernon was next to her looking double as shocked as his girlfriend.

“Hi,” was all the boy was able to utter as he scratched the back of his neck.

“That way,” Yves instructed them, signaling to the end of the hallway.

The two girls watched the couple walk away and rushed back to the party, where Vivi and Johnny had decided to join the rest of their group.

Kai suddenly slid away from Ten and Jinsoul—who were in the middle of a heated twerking battle—taking Jungeun by the hand to spin her around. He moved closer and they started dancing to the beat of the music. Jungeun had to admit he was a great dancer. He didn’t overstep his boundaries at any moment, he was just his usual playful self.

“Is she looking?” Kai whispered in her ear after the end of a song.

“Which one of them?” Jungeun asked, confused.

“Relax. Not the one you like,” Kai chuckled, flashing her a smirk.

“I—what? I don’t like Yves,” Jungeun stammered, taken aback.

“Why? Everyone likes Yves,” Kai replied matter-of-factly. “Anyway, is Lisa looking?”

Jungeun tried to be subtle as she leaned back to get a better view. “Everyone is looking,” she complained.

“Perfect,” Kai whispered.

After a couple more songs, a guy from Jungeun’s class who was also on the soccer team, Daniel, interrupted them. He seemed to have just arrived at the party together with a girl Jungeun had never seen around school. “Hey, what’s up, bro?” he greeted Kai. “And Jungeun, hi to you too. Look at you two,” he added cheekily.

“Bro! Took you long enough,” Kai greeted back and the two boys proceeded to engage in some weird handshake ritual.

“Sorry, that was my fault,” the girl next to Daniel said with a smirk.

“Jihyo, don’t steal my boy like that. There’s enough for both of us,” Kai teased.

“I’ll go back to the girls,” Jungeun murmured, feeling a bit out of place. “See you all around.”

Jungeun went back to Yves, Jinsoul and the rest of their group, but noticed that Ten and Lisa had followed Kai and Daniel to the pool area.

“Lisa was giving you the death glare,” Jinsoul remarked with a giggle. “Not gonna lie though, you guys look good together.”

They resumed dancing a while longer but for the most part, Yves remained rather quiet.

— — —

“Congratulations, you’ve suuurvived your first high school parry,” Jinsoul slurred as she plopped down on the mattress next to Yves’s bed. The girls had taken it from another room and placed next to Yves’s queen-sized bed before leaving for Kai’s party.

“Not as crazy as the movies make it seem, eh?” Vivi noted, cracking her neck.

Jungeun shrugged. “We don’t even have house parties in Korea, so that beat all my expectations,” she said.

Yves patted Jungeun’s head. “You didn’t even puke, I’m impressed.”

“Do you have any weird sleeping habits?” Vivi asked, sitting on the mattress next to Jinsoul’s spread out limbs.

“Not really, I sleep like a log,” Jungeun replied.

  
“Then you’re sleeping with Yves,” Vivi stated, leaning against Jinsoul’s dead body just to annoy her.

Jungeun shrugged once again. “Fine by me. Sure none of you wanna sleep in an actual bed though?”

“I kick and Vivi snores,” Jinsoul explained, suddenly coming back to life. “Not even when it’s just one of us staying over she lets us sleep in her bed. She’s a very nit-picky sleeper, nit-picky picky picky.”

“I’m just a light sleeper,” Yves protested. “You sure you don’t sleep-talk or anything?” she asked Jungeun, to which the girl merely shook her head.

Jinsoul and Jungeun showered first. The second floor apparently had four bathrooms but one was in Olivia’s room and the other in Yves’s parents' room, so each girl took up one bathroom. Then, Vivi used the bathroom down the hallway that Jungeun had used, while Yves showered in the one in her own room.

“She’s dead already,” Vivi noted as she came back to Yves’s room, poking Jinsoul’s cheek lightly. Jinsoul was already lying in bed, sleeping with her mouth half-open.

Vivi turned the lights off on her way to the bathroom where Yves was, so the only light came from the lamp on Yves’s night table. She waved at Yves before going back to the mattress, walking past Jungeun who was already in bed.

“Good night,” Yves whispered, poking her head out of the bathroom. She was still drying her hair. “Sorry for the noise, I’ll finish right away.”

“It’s fine. You know I could probably sleep through an alien invasion,” Vivi replied with a dismissive hand. “G’night,” she concluded with a yawn as she rolled over on the mattress next to Jinsoul.

“Good night,” Jungeun crooned without taking her eyes off her phone screen. She was busy texting her friend, Haseul, about her first house party experience. It might have been late in California but in Seoul, it was only a little over 6 PM.

“Sorry again for all that noise,” Yves said, closing the bathroom door behind her.

“No worries, I wasn’t trying to sleep anyway. I was texting a friend from Korea,” Jungeun explained.

“About tonight?” Yves asked walking around her bed to lie down next to Jungeun.

“Yep,” the girl said with her eyes already back on her phone.

Yves rolled on her side, propping her head up with her left palm. “Only good things, I hope.”

“Yeah, I even sent her a picture just to brag. She’s still at school right now,” Jungeun said scrolling up to show her the picture she had sent. It was a picture Vivi had taken while Yves and Jungeun were playing beer pong against Chuu and Joee. Jinsoul was also posing next to them with Johnny and Doyoung.

“She’s kinda cute,” Yves whispered jokingly, pointing at a picture beneath the one that Jungeun had sent. Haseul had sent Jungeun a picture too. She was sitting at her desk, making a v-sign as she leaned back to capture Yerim sleeping on the desk beside her. “Maybe I could get her number.”

Jungeun shook her head as she turned her screen off and placed the phone face down beside her. “Haseul is too precious. She’s like a ten,” Jungeun muttered.

“Hey, what about me? Of course I was kidding about getting her phone number,” Yves made known, “but aren’t I a ten too?”

“Good night,” Jungeun merely murmured, rolling over with her back to Yves.

“Hey,” Yves tried again, poking Jungeun’s back, but the other girl pulled the bed covers over her shoulders to stop her.

With a loud huff, Yves turned off the lamp beside her and sunk deeper beneath the bedsheets. It was quiet for a while, but just as Jungeun was about to fall asleep, she felt Yves shift behind her. She could suddenly hear Yves breathing right behind her, making her very much awake.

“A nine, at least?” Yves whispered and Jungeun felt goosebumps as the girl’s warm breath hit the nape of her neck.

Jungeun remained quiet, though even if she had wanted to reply her mouth seemed shut tight by an external force.

“You know how stubborn I can be. I’m not giving up,” Yves persisted as she quietly scooted closer to tickle an unsuspecting Jungeun.

Jungeun began squirming uncontrollably until an unexpected motion made her jerk away instinctively and turn around to protect her body from any more tickles.

“Fine,” Jungeun finally grumbled, giving up. “You’re a ten too.”

“I knew it. I just wanted to hear you say it,” Yves replied as a smug smirk spread across her lips, only visible to Jungeun thanks to the dim moonlight that shone through the curtains. “Good night to you too,” the captain whispered before moving away and rolling around.

Jungeun couldn’t utter a single word in reply. Yeah, she was ticklish like everybody else, but it wasn’t that what made her surrender a moment ago. At some point, while Yves was tickling her, her hoodie rode up and Yves’s cold hands brushed against the bare skin of her lower ribs. Despite how cold they were, they had sparked something at the pit of her stomach that felt like wildfire spreading to every inch of her body. _Like that feeling you get when you ride a roller coaster_ , Taeyeon’s words echoed in Jungeun’s mind as she gulped down as quietly as she could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been SO incredibly busy this past month (in a good way). I got a lot going on right now irl, which is why I wasn't able to update any sooner. I hope that this slightly longer chapter was able to make up for the long wait.
> 
> I wish you all a good week and, as always, thanks for all your comments and kudos.  
> See ya next time :]
> 
> PS: @BBC where's the teaser???


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